Los Angeles is determined to make Aussies feel welcome and at home in La La Land, even if it means recruiting hundreds of locals and one of the ‘Pretty Little Liars’ to spread the word.
In news that’ll make you say ‘that’s awesome’, the city’s tourism board found more than 1,000 Angelenos who were keen to take part in a grand gesture of acceptance and hospitality over the weekend, by creating one of the world’s largest, human-powered ‘welcome’ signs.
Visible to those with an aerial view aka those flying on a Virgin Australia flight into the city, the sign spelt out the word ‘welcome’ in four different languages – English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic – and served as a reminder to the world that #EveryoneIsWelcome in the City of Los Angeles.
Here it is in English:
And in Spanish:
And in Chinese:
And in Arabic:
Volunteers came from all walks of life and even included Australian actress and the woman behind the character we all love to hate on Pretty Little Liars (Jenna! What’s with the A.D. eye donation?) Tammin Sursok as well as TV personality Jason Dundas.
Organised by the city’s tourism board, Discover L.A., the large and unmissable message comes as a follow up to the launch of last month’s video campaign counteracting the anti-welcome sentiment coming out of the USA.
According to tourism forecasts, the anti-welcome sentiment is projected to cause a three-year loss of 800,000 international visitors to Los Angeles. On average these visitors spend around US$920 each, which could mean a total loss of US$736 in direct tourism spending.
Discover Los Angeles’ President & Chief Executive Ernest Wooden Jr. said there’s never been a more crucial time for the city to reinforce its diversity and inclusivity to the world.
“As one of the planet’s most diverse metro areas with residents hailing from 140 countries who speak more than 224 different languages, Los Angeles is uniquely poised to launch such a campaign.”
Ernest Wooden Jr., Discover Los Angeles President & Chief Executive
Having lived in the City of Stars for over a decade, Tammin Sursok said it was important to share the message and promote Los Angeles’ community spirit.
“L.A. has been my home for over a decade and I have friends – which I now call family – a career and I’m raising my daughter here,” she said.
“I’m getting behind this initiative because, now, more than ever, we must understand that we truly are a community – and this is such an important message to share with the world.”
Tammin Sursok, Australian Actress (Jenna on Pretty Little Liars)