Los Angeles tourism generates record revenue in 2017

LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Record-setting 48.5 million visitors generated a record 34.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 for Los Angeles County on the U.S. west coast, the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board said Monday.

Los Angeles received 41.2 million domestic visitors and 7.3 million international visitors last year, pumping an all-time high of 22.7 billion dollars directly into the local economy. Taking into account the induced and indirect benefits, visitors generated an overall economic impact of 34.9 billion dollars.

The total number of visitors exceeded a previous estimate and represented an increase of 2.6 percent from that of 2016.

Tourism supported 523,800 jobs in Los Angeles County's leisure and hospitality sector, one of the area's largest and strongest economic sectors, employing 1 in every 8.5 workers.

Tourism contributed 2.74 billion dollars in state and local tax revenues last year. Without tourism, every household in Los Angeles County would pay an additional 837 dollars in taxes, according to Los Angeles's official tourism marketing organization.

"We're breaking tourism records year after year, because Los Angeles has always been a place that welcomes the world," said Mayor Eric Garcetti in a press release of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.

"And with upcoming attractions like the Lucas Museum and the 2028 Olympic Games, our incredible story is just beginning," he added.

"As we move closer to our goal of 50 million visitors by 2020, tourism has undeniably become an impactful economic driver for Los Angeles underscored by seven straight years of unparalleled growth," said Ernest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. Enditem