The distinct buzz you find in Los Angeles always seems to be heightened this time of year.

I believe it can easily be attributed to awards season in LA, as the world’s entertainment spotlight shines on the full display of glitz and glamour. All eyes converge on the entertainment capital as the biggest movie, TV and music stars share the magical red carpet at the world’s most prestigious award ceremonies.

And this buzz has carried into other areas as well. I am thrilled to report another incredibly successful dineL.A. Restaurant Week, which ran from Jan. 19 to Feb 1. Thank you to our fantastic partners for participating in the program which boasted 375 restaurants. This marked our largest since inception and it continues to be largest restaurant week in the nation. Multiple restaurants reported record-breaking dining attendance during the program’s first weekend. Our earned media generated a reach of more than 80 million with a number of placements in top publications and local broadcast outlets.

Also hot off the press, Time magazine published a list of the best new restaurants in the world. Los Angeles was one of only 11 destinations that made this significant list, which ranged from Mexico City to Istanbul to Sydney. We continue to be at the forefront for trendsetting culinary venues as the editor of Travel + Leisure notes our food revolution is "gathering strength, powered by unrivaled California produce, daring young chefs, a United Nations of ethnic cuisines, and, yes, a dash of Hollywood glamour."  

I was excited to see DiscoverLosAngeles.com climb into the list of top 10 destinations on social media for December 2014, as revealed by Skift this month. Our fantastic Digital Marketing team continues to be at the forefront of these important mediums as @DiscoverLA has the most Instagram followers among U.S. cities and was the first U.S. city tourism board to exceed 1 million Facebook likes in 2012.

LATCB also launched its domestic ad campaign earlier this month in markets including New York, Chicago and Seattle featuring the popular “What’s Your LA Story?” theme. The soundtrack for these spots was developed by a team of composers who frequently collaborate with Hans Zimmer. In fact, Mr. Zimmer is nominated this year for an Academy Award for “Best Score.”

Awards season has ignited an exciting buzz across the city, one that lingers all year long.  As always, LATCB will be here, working on behalf of all of our members and partners to keep the world coming to Los Angeles to experience this special feeling.

The New Year is off to the races and 2015 looks to be another great year for LA’s tourism and hospitality industry.

Best wishes,
 

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