There’s a good reason why Los Angeles Tourism launched its biggest-ever overseas ad campaign down under.
Los Angeles’ tourism marketing organisation doesn’t just think the Australian market is going to be the biggest market in the Asia-Pacific region for the city; it could well be the biggest market period, and as soon as next year.
According to Los Angeles Tourism chief executive officer and president, Adam Burke, LA expects to reach at least 75 per cent of 2019’s record 420,000 Australian arrivals to the city in 2023.
“I will also tell you … because I do know that Aussies love the spirit of friendly competition, that if you look at Australia and the UK – it will be the fight for the top spot overseas,” remarked Burke, who was speaking at an event for key travel industry partners in Sydney.
“So there’s a very good possibility that Australia will actually be our number one overseas market next year.”
Australia rising
Burke said Aussies generated around $1.3 billion annually for the LA economy pre-pandemic, and added there were two main reasons why LA Tourism made the trip to Australia now.
“So first of all … and there’s no other way of putting it – I’m just going to be very direct: we will not see a full recovery in Los Angeles without the full return of Australian visitation.”
Secondly, Burke says that trade “collaboration is key to everything we do”, especially “if you think about the last two and a half years”.
“We would not be successful without all of you,” he told industry partners at the event.
“You may not know that Los Angeles is unique in this; we’re the only US destination that actually has our own full-time offices and team members overseas. And we held on to all seven of our international licenses because from our perspective, we were playing the long game – we knew international [travel] was going to be coming back.”
Largest public project in US
In his presentation, Burke updated attendees on the latest happenings in Los Angeles, “because if you haven’t been to LA since before the pandemic, you really don’t know LA. To really capture it all, we’ve been talking about it as LA 2.0.”
Among the updates was a positive report on “the largest public works program in the entire country” – Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) US$14 billion Modernisation Program, which is “actually on schedule for everything”, and the expanding airlift from Australia to LA.
“As of today, we have 44 nonstop [flights] so we’re coming out of Australia,” Burke explained.
“If you add to that an additional 14 coming out of Fiji and New Zealand it’s closer to 60. But with the increased capacity that we’re seeing from United, American and Delta next month, we’re actually going to be closer to 70 nonstops a week.”
There’s also the boom in hotel rooms, which Burke describes as “mind-boggling”.
“We added 5,000 new hotel rooms – and Los Angeles in the middle of the pandemic.
“So now there’s something at virtually every price point in every part of the city.”
Burke also gave a summary of the developments around the city’s attractions, including the launch of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World, a revamped Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, and recently opened sights like the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and SoFi Stadium (host of the 2022 Super Bowl).
‘Now Playing’
Speaking to Los Angeles Tourism’s recently launched, record-breaking media campaign, ‘Now Playing’, LA Tourism chief marketing officer Don Skeoch told attendees the AU$2.2m brand blitz was “over four times more than we’ve ever spent” on an initiative; typically LA Tourism would spend “somewhere in the area of about $500,000 Australian”.
Skeoch said the campaign was launched in Australia and New Zealand as these markets were vitally important to the destination and were experiencing a major return of air capacity to the city.
“I’ve been saying that it hasn’t been a simmer; it’s been a boil. It’s coming back very, very quickly,” said Skeoch, who also gave guests a sneak peek of the forthcoming ads.
LA 2.0, get ready for Australian travellers 2.0.
Befitting LA’s glam appeal, the LA Tourism event was held at CIRQ at Crown Sydney, attended by 60 key industry partners, and featured canapes and cocktails inspired by the City of Angels.
Representing LA Tourism along with Burke and Skeoch were senior vice president of global tourism development, Kathy Smits, managing director – Asia Pacific, Craig Gibbons and travel trade manager – Asia Pacific, Kathleen Brown.
