Los Angeles Tourism Unveils New Phase of “Now Playing” Global Ad Campaign with $8.6 Million Investment to Spur Economic Recovery in the City of Angels
2024 to Be Pivotal Year Celebrating LA’s Emergence as Global Arts and Culture Capital
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 26, 2023 – The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board today hosted its annual Market Outlook Forum at The Novo in Downtown Los Angeles, with more than 450 representatives of the region’s travel and tourism community in attendance. Speakers included Adam Burke, President & CEO, Los Angeles Tourism; Caroline Beteta, President & CEO, Visit California; Geoff Freeman, President & CEO, U.S. Travel Association; Adam Sacks, President, Tourism Economics; and Clayton Reid, Executive Chairman, MMGY Global.
“The pandemic demonstrated just how indispensable tourism is to the Los Angeles community, fueling job growth, local business sales, and tax revenues across every LA neighborhood, and supporting hundreds of small and diverse-owned businesses. Though tourism has begun to significantly rebound – particularly domestic leisure travel –we are still on the road to recovery,” said Adam Burke, President & CEO of Los Angeles Tourism. “There’s still a great deal of work ahead to achieve full recovery for professional meetings & events and overseas visitation, the latter of which is particularly critical to an international gateway destination like Los Angeles. That said, we are optimistic about achieving a full recovery by 2025, buoyed by the anticipated resurgence of these two sectors.”
The Market Outlook Forum covered key insights and forecast data for visitation to Los Angeles; a presentation of Los Angeles Tourism’s upcoming marketing campaigns, “Now Playing” and DineLA; a preview of why 2024 will be a pivotal year for arts and culture; an overview of IPW 2024 – the world’s leading international inbound travel trade show – being hosted in LA next May; and an overview of “LA 2.0” encapsulating the countless, exciting new attractions that offer travelers more reasons than ever to visit the City of Angels.
Tourism Fuels Los Angeles
Both leisure and business travel – including professional meetings & events – continue to generate significant economic impact for the Los Angeles community. In 2022, 46.25 million visitors drove $34.5 billion in total business sales, supporting more than 557,400 tourism-related careers. Looking ahead, Los Angeles Tourism is forecasting 49.30 million visitors in total by year’s end, which still trails 2019’s record-setting visitation by 1.43 million travelers.
Upcoming Marketing Programs:
Just announced today, Los Angeles Tourism is pleased to debut the next iteration of its global advertising campaign, “Now Playing,” with a substantial $8.6 million investment, targeting key U.S. cities such as NYC, Chicago, DC, Boston, Atlanta, and Seattle.
Also coming this fall, DineLA celebrates its 15th Anniversary and will feature an exciting lineup of more than 350 restaurants, including both new restaurants and classic favourites that have participated and served Angelenos and visitors over the last decade and a half. From October 6-20, Fall DineLA 2023 will mark a milestone in the event’s history, with an impressive 45 Michelin-rated restaurants participating, making it the largest gathering of Michelin-rated establishments ever to join the festivities. Los Angeles is currently home to over 200 MICHELIN Guide recognized eateries, underscoring the city’s status as one of the world’s leading dining capitals and elevating LA neighborhoods such as the Arts District, Culver City and Little Tokyo.
2024: A Pivotal Year for Arts and Culture
With more museums and performing arts venues than any other U.S. destination, Los Angeles has become recognized as a one of the world’s leading cities for arts and culture, and 2024 will usher in new world-class venues and exhibitions.
- Among the exciting updates in arts and culture next year, a stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard running through South L.A. will be transformed with the February 2024 debut of Destination Crenshaw, a $100 million outdoor art and culture experience located in the heart of Black Los Angeles. This thriving commercial corridor will be linked by architecturally stunning community spaces and pocket parks, hundreds of newly planted trees, and over 100 commissioned works of art, where visitors and locals can experience the most dynamic expression of Black American culture in the United States.
- Also in 2024, The Natural History Museum is set to debut a major $75 million transformation – a project called NHM Commons – which will include an indoor-outdoor wing and add 60,000 sq. ft. of space to the museum. The project is intended to better connect the museum with the community and is being designed by LA-based Frederick Fisher & Partners and Mia Lehrer’s Studio-MLA.
- PST ART: Art & Science Collide will debut in September 2024 with more than 818 artists and 50 exhibitions. In partnership with museums and institutions across the region, this Getty initiative will create opportunities for civic dialogue around some of the most urgent problems of our time by exploring past and present connections between art and science in a series of exhibitions, public programs, and other resources.
- In late 2024, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will debut a new project, the David Geffen Galleries, designed by Peter Zumthor. The $750 million new facility is a two-story building with 350,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space and 3.5 acres of new outdoor space for public use.
LA 2.0 – The “New” LA
Looking ahead, Los Angeles stands on the cusp of an exciting era, with major developments and cultural milestones on the horizon. From the launch of the “Now Playing” ad campaign to the debut of transformative projects such as the $30 billion modernization of LAX – including the debut of the Automated People Mover in 2024 – the Metro Purple (D Line) Extension, and Destination Crenshaw, Los Angeles is poised to shine brighter than ever. Los Angeles continues to expand its diverse hotel offerings – the city currently has 116,583 rooms, and over the last few years alone has added 15 hotels representing around 2,500 rooms. Los Angeles is on the rise as a top global sports destination, poised to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. LA 2.0 also encompasses key anniversaries such as the 100th anniversary of the iconic Hollywood Sign on December 8, 2023. With new hotels, museums, galleries, events and a vibrant dining scene, Los Angeles continues to solidify its position as a global powerhouse.
Looking Forward
For the first time in over a dozen years, Los Angeles will welcome the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, the leading inbound travel trade show, held from May 3-7, 2024, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles. IPW showcases U.S. suppliers of USA travel products and destinations and attracts international and domestic travel buyers and journalists representing more than 60 countries. As a global hub of entertainment and creativity, Los Angeles provides a wealth of experiences for attendees that few other destinations can match, and with the anticipation of hosting this notable event, the city sets the stage for a brighter future.
