3rd highest growth for LA

The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board’s marketing strategy in India has resulted in the market gaining one spot, from being the fourth-highest international YOY growth market in 2017 to being the third-highest in 2018 at 5.1 per cent.

Hazel Jain

Given that Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board foresees consistent growth coming from India over the next four years, averaging five per cent per year, opening an office was a natural step for it. It recently established its direct presence in Mumbai with an office in Bandra-Kurla Complex, headed by Seema Kadam, Regional Director – India, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. She says, “India’s 2018 performance has been extremely encouraging. We witnessed a 5.1 per cent YOY growth in 2018, welcoming 130,000 Indian travellers during the course of the year. Our marketing strategy in India resulted in the market gaining one spot, from being the fourth-highest international YOY growth market in 2017 to being the third- highest in 2018. We project the numbers to hit 165,000 visitors to LA by 2023.”

We are looking at Tier-II and Tier-III city trainings in Chandigarh, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai

The board’s primary focus is the leisure segment. “On an average, Indian travellers to the US stay for 30.4 nights and visit at least three destinations. Of this, they spend 7.7 nights on an average in Los Angeles. Research indicates sightseeing (92%), shopping (87%), and guided tours (52%) as top preference activities for Indian visitors to Los Angeles,” Kadam reveals.

LA Insider for B2B

As far as B2B activities are concerned, the board is aggressively pushing its ‘LA Insider’ online training programme, which launched in India in 2018. This B2B platform highlights Los Angeles with three chapters and educates the trade on how to sell and promote Los Angeles. Incentives, familiarisation opportunities, and local travel trade discounts are communicated to the travel trade via newsletters. In January 2020, it will join Visit California on their dedicated California sales mission.

“Additionally, we are looking at Tier-II and Tier-III city trainings in Chandigarh, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai. We also aim to co-create webinars with key Los Angeles partners. We are also aggressively promoting our diverse hotel landscape featuring 991 hotels and 98,000 hotel rooms ranging from value to trendy to luxury, and highlighting meeting options – from unique only-in-LA venues to the 720,000 sqft. convention centre and the LA LIVE entertainment complex for the M!CE market,” Kadam elaborates. The board now has a revamped website at www.discoverlosangeles.com, which contains interactive maps and an events calendar.