It’s been a big year for Los Angeles. A new football team, an ongoing multi-billion-dollar overhaul at LAX, a nearly infinite number of new hotel projects on the horizon, and a record-breaking number of visitors. For 2016, the city welcomed some 47.3 million visitors, a number that grew by 1.7 million (or 3.8 per cent) over the previous year, according to the Los Angele Tourism & Convention Board.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Los Angeles has broken its own tourism records.

"Tourism is booming in Los Angeles, and it's helping to drive our whole city's economy forward," said Mayor Garcetti. "My goal is to welcome 50 million tourists to our city by 2020, and new attractions like the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will have even more people from around the world lining up to come to L.A."

Domestically, LA was an overnight destination for some 40.2 million Americans, a 3.8 per cent increase over 2015. During the same period, more than 7 million international visitors travelled to LA, a 3.5% increase over the previous year. From points north, a total of 708,000 Canadians visited Los Angeles. The number, not surprisingly, dipped a bit (2.8 per cent) for the year as Canada’s currency exchange woes continue to vex visitor destination throughout the United States.

Still, Canada remains the third-largest inbound market for Los Angeles (behind Mexico and China) and tourism officials expect the numbers to bounce in the coming year.

“L.A. Tourism considers Canada to be a key, top-tier international market and we will continue to invest marketing resources there to achieve even more growth in 2017 and beyond as we see the current economic situation to be temporary,” said Ernest Wooden Jr. President and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board:

Last year, Los Angeles also became the first-ever U.S. city destination to welcome more than 1 million visitors from China. The growth in travellers from China was responsible for nearly 75 per cent of LA’s total international growth. The organization will open its fourth tourism office in China in 2017. The new Chengdu office will join ones located in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

India also saw a tremendous increase in travellers to Los Angeles, recording a growth of 10.2 per cent over 2015. L.A. Tourism established official representation in India in 2016 as well as representation in the Gulf/Middle East, which is a key connection point for travellers from India. 

 “Global desire for the Los Angeles experience is at an all-time high, a fact largely attributable to our city’s celebration of diversity and creativity, from which thriving culinary, cultural and lifestyle scenes have emerged,” said Wooden. “Fantastic new hotels are opening their doors with frequency, chefs are exploring innovative creative territories, noteworthy cultural institutions are choosing to call L.A. home and people want to be a part of the L.A. lifestyle. We are thankful for all of these individuals and entities which make Los Angeles the place that record-setting numbers of people want to visit.”

Occupancy rates also soared in 2016, cumulatively reaching 81.3 per cent, the first time ever the city has surpassed the 80 per cent mark. In total, the city sold 29.2 million hotel room nights with an average daily rate (ADR) of $171.95, an increase of 8.6 per cent over 2015.

Tourism supports more than 500,000 jobs in Los Angeles and is one of the largest contributors to the L.A. economy.

For more information, visit www.discoverLosAngeles.com. 

Follow @MonicaPoling