January 26, 2018
DONALD WHO?:
Why international tourists are avoiding the U.S. as a whole but still coming to Los Angeles (Hugo Martin, 1/26/18, LA Times)
Los Angeles County set a tourism record of 48.3 million visitors in 2017, marking the seventh straight year it topped the previous record for both domestic and international visitors. But the increase comes as fewer foreign travelers come to the U.S. as a whole, led by a reduction from one of the nation's biggest sources of international visitors, Mexico.The county, which draws about 15% of its visitors from foreign countries, escaped the downturn partly because of its geographic position as a major gateway to Asia and its decision last year to reach out to foreign travelers with a message of welcome."This message of humanity and inclusivity was the right message at the right time and helped to mitigate potential loss especially in markets like Mexico and Europe," said Ernest Wooden, chief executive of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
Posted by Orrin Judd at January 26, 2018 6:54 PM