Los Angeles Kicks Off the Road to IPW 2024
Los Angeles Tourism, the official non-profit destination marketing and sales organization for Los Angeles, today kicked off "The Road to IPW 2024" with a press conference at IPW 2023 in San Antonio, Texas that welcomed over 400 media.
The press conference reported the organization's year-end figures including $34.5 billion in total business sales in 2022, reaching 91 percent of 2019's record-setting levels.
More than 528,200 tourism-related careers were generated last year along with $3 billion in state and local taxes supporting essential services for all Angelenos.
The announcement comes as Los Angeles continues to spotlight the new experiences and products that make up "LA 2.0" and prepares to welcome the U.S. Travel Association's international inbound travel show, IPW, May 3-7, 2024.
"With so many exciting new reasons to visit our City of Angels, we're thrilled to roll out the red carpet for IPW in 2024 and showcase why LA is the ideal place to stay, play, and do business," said Los Angeles Tourism President and CEO, Adam Burke. "As one of the world's most diverse and inclusive communities – and one of the primary gateways to the United States – we pride ourselves on being a destination where everyone is welcome. And starting with the $15 billion modernization of Los Angeles International Airport, we've seen incredible investment in the market, offering IPW attendees the opportunity to experience our destination like never before."
The City reported a robust recovery reaching 91% of 2019 visitation levels with 46.2 million visitors to Los Angeles. Tourism is a leading driver of the local economy, enhancing the quality of life of all Angelenos while creating attractions and amenities that residents and visitors experience year-round.
International visitation continues to be a key focus of Los Angeles Tourism. For over two decades, Los Angeles has been the only U.S. destination to maintain full-time offices and team members overseas, with seven offices that remained open and operational throughout the pandemic.
The strategy provides Los Angeles Tourism the ability to remain agile to diversify its reach and creates a first-mover advantage to increase market share. In 2022, international visitation increased by nearly 2 million visitors, representing an 81.7 percent year-over-year increase from 2021.
In 2023, Los Angeles' top five international source markets are expected to be Mexico (1,790,000), Canada (740,000), China (460,000), Australia/NZ (390,000), and UK/Ireland (330,000).
The City of Angels will welcome travel exhibitors, buyers, and media from around the globe to Los Angeles for IPW 2024 next May. With an array of new experiences, incredible meeting spaces, and an exciting lineup of programming, Los Angeles is thrilled to roll out the red carpet for the world's leading travel trade show. 2024 will be the sixth time LA serves as an IPW host city, welcoming attendees to experience the exciting updates shared at the press conference for themselves.
