Los Angeles County marked its eighth year in row of tourism growth last year and hosted an estimated 50 million visitors. The county set a tourism record, which was a 3.1 percent improvement of 2017’s visitors (48.5 million). The growth came thanks to a slight increase in international tourists. According to tourism officials, the number of international visitors climbed 3.6% in 2018 compared to 2017, and the number of domestic visitors rose 3 percent compared to the previous year. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti stated the following regarding the tourism record,
Surpassing 50 million annual visitors two years ahead of schedule is the latest milestone in our ongoing work to bring Los Angeles to the world, and the world to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County was the top-ranked U.S. city for Chinese travelers last year, with an all-time high of 1.2 million visitors from China, which was a 6.9 percent increase from the previous year. The number of visitors from Mexico also reached a record, with 1.8 million guests, a 4 percent increase compared to the previous year. Last year, an estimated 7.5 million international travelers from around the world and 42.5 million domestic travelers came to Los Angeles. More precise numbers are expected to be released in May. According to the Los Angeles Times, economists estimated that tourists in Los Angeles County were responsible for $22.7 billion in direct spending last year. Hopefully the tourism growth continues to increase over the next couple of years.
