2016 Winter dineL.A. Restaurant Week
2016 Winter dineL.A. Restaurant Week, the popular biannual celebration of the city’s vibrant culinary scene is here! Now through Sunday, January 31, 2016, dineL.A. Restaurant Week features specially curated lunch and dinner menus from more than 300 restaurants along with a new tier of experiential menus from the city’s top chefs via the Exclusive Series presented by Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express. New to the program this year is a partnership with The Midnight Mission, a local nonprofit, which provides food, shelter, and essential aid to those experiencing homelessness throughout the county. Together with OpenTable, dineL.A. will promise $1 of each seated reservation booked through www.discoverLosAngeles.com/dineLA to The Midnight Mission. One nutritious meal will be provided to someone in need for each dollar given.
Los Angeles Sets New Tourism Record in 2015
Mayor Eric Garcetti, L.A. Tourism President Ernest Wooden Jr., city leaders and airport officials announced Los Angeles welcomed a record 45.5 million visitors in 2015, an increase of 2.8% over 2014 levels, breaking visitation records for the fifth consecutive year. New tourism records were set for both domestic and international visitation surpassing mid-year forecasts. Total domestic visitation reached 38.8 million, a 2.8% increase over 2014, and 6.7 million international visitors made Los Angeles their ultimate destination, a 3.3% increase over the previous year. China was the most dynamic market driving international visitation with a year-over-year growth of 13.6%, officially becoming L.A.’s number two international market, behind Mexico, with 779,000 visitors. South Korea also grew by double digits, an increase of 11% totaling more than 282,000 visitors.
Shaq is Back!
Go behind-the-scenes with the Lakers and NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal at the 12th annual Lakers All Access on Monday, January 25, 2016 beginning at 5 p.m. at STAPLES Center. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just want to enjoy a great evening on the court, you won’t want to miss Lakers All-Access. Shoot hoops, tour the locker room, take photos with the championship trophies and alumni, and call play-by-play on historic Laker moments. Dinner served on the court as Bill Macdonald interviews Shaquille O’Neal, Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Roy Hibbert, Byron Scott, James Worthy and more! Net proceeds from the event support the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission (LASEC), both nonprofit organizations. For more information check out sponsorship and ticket opportunities and email Kathryn Schloessman at kschloessman@lasec.us
El Nino: What You Need to Know
Despite a dry couple of weeks, El Nino has definitely arrived.
While it’s nearly impossible to predict the weather, this year’s El Nino is forecasted to be significant. As such, we at L.A. Tourism have prepared an action plan to help ensure visitor safety and comfort remain a top priority.
Over the past several months, the team has:
- Prepared talking points about El Nino that can be used for media, tour operators, meeting planners or visitors; you can find a link to these talking points HERE
- Coordinated with Visit California and the City of Los Angeles to ensure messaging and activation synergy:
- The City of Los Angeles has created an El Nino preparedness site which you can access by visiting http://www.elninola.com/
- Their media kit can be accessed here: http://www.elninola.com/resources/#/media-kit/
- Engaged daily social and traditional media monitoring, keeping an eye on the following:
- Geographic misrepresentation/confusion (statements of “L.A.” when the reported event is really 85 miles east of us, etc.)
- General sentiment/perception about what’s happening in L.A.
- Opportunities to insert messaging about visitor safety or positive visitor experiences
- Top tweets and their geographic origin
- Fine-tuned our crisis communications plan
- Developed a bank of content called insideLA which highlights the wealth of indoor activities visitors can enjoy while in Los Angeles. We are developing one-sheeters with these details which hotels can distribute at check-in, but the content can also be found here: http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/insideLA
- Reached out to members/partners to gather any available “rainy day” packages (overnight packages, restaurant deals, etc.) that are shareable with media
- Looking ahead, we’ll be partnering with local media who contribute to key market or national publications as well as key social media influencers to have them experience activities contained within our insideLA content. We’ll also ensure they are regularly updated with correct information about El Nino’s impact on L.A.
Please reach out to Jamie Foley, Vice President of Global Communications, at jfoley@latourism.org if you have any questions about LATCB’s El Nino action plan or how LATCB can help serve as a resource for you.
INDUSTRY NEWS & NOTES
Los Angeles World Airports reported passenger traffic at LAX grew by double digits in November, as more than 5.96 million passengers moved through the airport. These numbers represent a 10.7% year-over-year increase. It is estimated more than 74.5 million people traveled through LAX for 2015.
Qatar Airways rang in the New Year with a new daily, non-stop service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, which started January 1, 2016. The new route features the airline’s landmark Boeing 777-200 and represents Qatar Airways' first passenger service to the West Coast of the United States. The expansion to LAX is the first of three new US destinations planned for 2016, along with Boston (BOS) on March 16th and Atlanta (ATL) on June 1, 2016.
Emirates announced plans to launch a second daily service from Dubai International Airport to LAX beginning July 1, 2016. The second Los Angeles flight will be operated with an Emirates’ Airbus A380-800ULR aircraft in a 3-class configuration with 14 private suites in first class, class, 76 seats in Business class and 401 seats in economy class.
WOW air, the ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline from Iceland, has announced fares from Los Angeles to Iceland for as low as $99 for flights including taxes. WOW air will begin flying to the U.S. West Coast this summer with its inaugural flight between Reykjavik and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on June 15. The airline will operate in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, offering departures four days a week with connecting flights to other European destinations.
Hainan Airlines will launch the only nonstop service from LAX to central China on January 21, 2016. Hainan will connect passengers to Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, a metropolis of over 7 million people famous for its world-renowned cuisine and rich history. The new route is part of Hainan’s large-scale expansion in North America. On the west coast, Hainan already operates nonstop service between Silicon Valley (SJC) and Beijing, and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Beijing and Shanghai.
U.S. Travel Association estimated 2015’s record number of travelers for the holiday season topped 100 million for the first time, representing a 1.4% increase over 2014 and the seventh consecutive year-over-year growth for holiday travel. U.S. Travel estimated holiday travelers spent $28.7 billion, a slight increase from 2014.