Nearly 200 U.S. and Chinese Industry Leaders Gather Los Angeles to diiscuss Tourism Policies, Sept. 9-11.

Los Angeles is poised to welcome nearly 200 tourism industry leaders from the U.S. and China to the ninth annual U.S.-China Leadership Summit, which will be held Sept. 9-11 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. As one of the preeminent gateways to the entire U.S., L.A. is a top travel destination for Chinese visitors and presents the perfect setting for delegates and industry leaders to strengthen their relationships and foster new ideas during this summit.

To ensure a seamless arrival experience for summit delegates, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LATCB) is working closely with Los Angeles World Airports to station Chinese-speaking staff to meet and greet delegates from China. LAX currently boasts an average of 17,000 seats aboard 54 non-stop weekly flights from China. Non-stop seat capacity out of China for this year has increased nearly 32 percent year-over-year to more than 911,000 total seats.

China-Ready partners taking part in the U.S.-China Leadership Summit include The Getty Museum, which offers Chinese-speaking guides, maps in Chinese and China Union-Pay services, and Integrated Transportation System, which offers Chinese-speaking drivers. The China-Ready distinction ensures that both The Getty and Integrated Transportation System have established a satisfactory level of China-readiness by undergoing LATCB’s China-Ready program and can deliver on LA’s promise as the premier destination for Chinese visitors to fully meet Chinese visitor expectations.

The U.S.-China Leadership Summit will focus on tourism cooperation and mutually beneficial marketing initiatives, with seminars focusing on the China tourism market, China Tourism Law and the 10-year reciprocal visa policy. Briefing sessions regarding L.A’s marketing initiatives and expansion efforts in China are also expected, where Ernest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of LATCB, will speak about L.A.’s China-Ready initiative as well as the key role China plays in L.A.’s ambitious goal of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2020. 

In less than a decade, China has surged to become L.A.’s number one overseas tourism market, with Chinese visitation to L.A. up 523 percent. L.A. has seen five consecutive years of double digit growth in Chinese visitation – outpacing every other international market by a large margin. In 2014, L.A. saw a 20 percent increase in visitation from China over 2013, welcoming nearly 700,000 Chinese visitors. 2015 research statistics has forecasted that Chinese visitation will continue to experience double digit growth for at least the next three years. The U.S.-China Leadership Summit will further reinforce L.A.’s position in the China market and continue to build destination awareness.

For more information on Los Angeles’ China-Ready program, visit www.discoverlosangeles.com/chinaready. More information on the summit is available here.