World Routes 2015
L.A. Tourism and LAWA representatives attended World Routes September 19-22, 2015 in Durban, South Africa.  World Routes is a global conference for aviation organizations such as airlines, airports, tourism and civil aviation authorities to plan and conduct business for new global air routes.  Representatives conducted appointments with airlines and route planners to discuss new and/or expanded service to LAX and ONT. As a result, LAWA is expected to announce new and/or expanding service in the coming months. L.A. Tourism will work closely with airlines on launch event support at both departure cities and Los Angeles.

Brand USA India Sales Mission
L.A. Tourism participated in this year’s Brand USA India Sales Mission September 6-12, 2015 in four cities:  Goa, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi. Brand USA offered a separate MICE program and invited 22 corporate buyers to join the U.S. delegation for two days for the first time.  This program extended networking opportunities and one-on-one appointments with each of the corporate buyers to promote L.A. as their next MICE destination.  During L.A. Tourism’s first ever visit to Chennai, representatives met with local travel trade including tour operators and travel agents. Programming for both Mumbai and New Delhi included a full day of appointments with tour operators and travel agents as well as an evening VIP reception dinner for senior-level airlines, tour operator and travel agent CEOs, the U.S. Consulate and top media. A session with top local travel trade and consumer media was held in New Delhi on the closing day. 

L.A. Tourism in Canada
Cory Abke, national sales director for Canada and Tamy Ly, regional director for Canada conducted joint sales calls to several Meeting & Incentive Planners and Tour Operators in Mississauga and Toronto. The meetings were an opportunity to provide an overview of services L.A. Tourism offers to MICE groups as well as an opportunity to highlight new destination developments including hotels, attractions and LAX (Tom Bradley International Terminal, Terminal 2).

Highlights from the sales mission included a lunch-and-learn at MertiBiz, a leading Canadian corporate travel company specializing in business travel management, as well as meeting with Air Canada to discuss upgrades at LAX’s Terminal 2 and future partnerships for MICE/leisure FAMs. Cory and Tamy also attended SITE Canada, a unique global network of travel and event professionals, which attracted more than 50 Canadian buyers and suppliers.

L.A. Tourism will continue to foster this growing segment through trade shows and sales meetings as Los Angeles is strongly considered a MICE destination for Canada due to the destination’s strong airlift, unique venues, perfect year-round weather and more.

Visit California Superfam
In partnership with Visit California, L.A. Tourism hosted a familiarization tour September 28-30, 2015 to promote L.A.’s variety of cultural and entertainment experiences. The group’s participants included top sales agents as invited by British Airways. The educational itinerary highlighted L.A.’s premier tourism experiences including behind the scenes tours of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and Universal Studios Hollywood, a walking tour of The Getty Center, and luxury shopping in Beverly Hills, among others. Accommodations were provided by The Hotel Angeleno with site tours of SLS Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

L.A. Tourism – Australia
L.A. Tourism’s Australia office exhibited at Luxperience, the leading luxury travel trade show in the Southern hemisphere September 7-9, 2015. The three day exchange attracted more than 1,000 luxury and high end experiential travel specialists and buyers from around the world. L.A. Tourism representative Craig Gibbons conducted a full schedule of appointments and provided buyers with updates on L.A.’s hotel developments and luxury experiences.

L.A. Tourism – Japan
L.A. Tourism’s Japan office participated in the second annual Japan Travel Week September 24-27, 2015 in Tokyo, which aims to boost outbound and inbound tourism. In partnership with Brand USA, L.A. Tourism exhibited at Tourism EXPO Japan 2015, the centerpiece event for the outbound travel as organized by Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA). Representative Masa Andachi provided travel trade, media and consumers with exciting updates on Los Angeles. Attendees of the three day event reached 173,602 - a record number for the show – of which 40,622 were travel trade and media. Partners Universal Studios Hollywood and Elephant Tours also exhibited at the L.A. Tourism booth.

L.A. Tourism – China

L.A. Tourism’s China office conducted a training series for three outbound Shanghai travel operators, Funtrips, SmartTravel and 54 Traveler on September 28. The three operators recently received their license to operate and will launch their American packages next year. Representatives Austin Yin and James Zheng presented information on Los Angeles including L.A.’s hotels, FIT packages and LAX updates.

Starwood Hotels and Westin Bonaventure conducted a mission to China in September. Representative Austin Yin attended in Shanghai with Westin Bonaventure General Manager Michael Czarcinski; Alexandra Liu attended the session in Beijing; and Selin Lin attended in Guangzhou. L.A. Tourism representatives introduced the Westin Bonaventure at each of the sessions and provided remarks about nearby attractions and updates on LAX to prospective buyers. 

As invited by Visit USA, Angela Li from L.A. Tourism’s Beijing office attended the Outdoor Activities Products Road Show in Chengdu, Shenyang, and Beijing from September 10-18. More than 100 travel agents and 30 media attended each event. Angela presented updates on LAX, L.A.’s outdoor activities and high-end travel resources to trade partners.

As invited by Brand USA, representative Angela Li attended the American product training for Chongqing top travel agencies including Chongqing Xinya International Travel Service, Chongqing Overseas Tourism Group, Chongqing Comfort & Chongqing China Travel Service, Chongqing Golden Holiday Travel Service and Chongqing Grand China Express September 7-8.  More than 15 agents from MICE, sales and operations attended each of the trainings. Angela presented updates on LAX, L.A. Tourism membership hotels and new products to the trade partners.

Representative Angela Li attended Brand USA’s American product training for Chengdu top travel agencies including Chengdu Utour, Chengdu Overseas Tourism, Chengdu Champion Holiday /Great Expectation, Sichuan Business International and Chengdu Bamboo September 9-11. More than 15 agents from MICE, sales and operations attended each of the trainings. Angela presented updates on LAX, L.A. Tourism membership hotels and new products to the trade partners.

As invited by US Consulate General Guangzhou, L.A. Tourism’s Guangzhou office attended the US Tourism Roadshow in Hong Kong on September 21 and in Shenzhen on September 22. Representative Selin Lin presented to more than 40 travel agents and media in Hong Kong; and to more than 60 at the event in Shenzhen.

As invited by Brand USA, L.A. Tourism’s Shanghai office attended the American product training September 9 at CYTS MICE Service Co., Ltd. More than 18 agents from the company’s product, event and incentive departments attended the training. Representative James Zheng presented updates on L.A. as a MICE destination with a focus LAX and the airport’s latest developments.  James also presented to more than 16 agents at Shanghai East Star Event Management Co. on September 11, as invited by Brand USA.

FCS and Visit USA invited L.A. Tourism representatives Austin Yin and James Zheng to FCS China Tourism Promotion in Shanghai on September 8. Attendees consisted of high-level decision makers from seven major OTAs, Ctrip, Tuniu, airlines and key traditional travel operators. James and Austin presented L.A.’s hotels, FIT packages, upcoming attractions and provided updates on and LAX to more than 20 trade operators during the session.

L.A. Tourism’s Public Relations team, in partnership with Air New Zealand, hosted a familiarization trip September 10-13, 2015 for UK media to promote Air New Zealand’s direct flight from London to LAX. Media outlets included Daily Mail and The Telegraph. The group’s educational itinerary showcased L.A.’s distinct neighborhoods including the Arts District, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Los Feliz and Malibu. The group enjoyed accommodations at the ACE Hotel.

In conjunction with L.A. Tourism’s Culture team, Public Relations hosted a media familiarization trip September 14-18, 2015 centered on the grand opening of The Broad museum. Media outlets included Bazaar Art China, L’Officiel Hommes China, Rurubu Japan, Ultratravel UK, Fairfax Travel Publications New Zealand and Escape Australia. The group experienced the Hollywood Bowl, the Frank Gehry exhibition at LACMA and watched the Los Angeles Opera perform at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The group enjoyed accommodations at The Line Hotel.

Public Relations, in partnership with Avianca Airlines, hosted a familiarization trip September 21-26, 2015 for Brazilian media to promote the airline’s direct flight from Bogota to LAX. Media outlets included Diario de Sao Paulo, Top Destinos, Kaza, and Glamurama. The group’s itinerary highlighted L.A.’s diverse experiences including Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, Grand Central Market and Six Taste Food Tour of the Arts District. The group enjoyed accommodations at The Line Hotel and Mr. C Beverly Hills.

In conjunction with L.A. Tourism’s Sales team, Corporate Communications hosted a familiarization trip September 19-20, 2015 for meetings media centered on the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards. Media outlets included PCMA Convene and Prevue magazine. The trip’s itinerary focused on L.A.’s endless entertainment and other experiences that can be incorporated into meetings and events programming. Highlights included The GRAMMY Museum, Faith & Flower, Cleo and The Library Bar at The Redbury. The group enjoyed accommodations at Loews Hollywood.