Los Angeles–Mayor Eric Garcetti signed his 33rd Executive Directive on March 9, which creates the City of Los Angeles Tourism Cabinet, a group of department general managers to support growth in the tourism and hospitality sectors in Los Angeles. The Executive Directive also calls for the implementation of the recommendations laid out in the City’s Tourism Master Plan.
“Los Angeles is a global destination, and if we want our economy to fully recover from the pandemic, we need to get this industry back on its feet,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Tourism and hospitality were hit hard over the last two years, and as we continue to safely welcome more people from across the country and world to Los Angeles, we need to make sure Angelenos benefit from that economic growth.”
The new Cabinet will develop strategies to maintain L.A.’s position as a leading destination, identify a path for sustainable growth of tourism, and ensure that new activity delivers strong benefits directly to Angelenos. Doane Liu, the Executive Director of the LA City Tourism Department, will be designated as the Chief Tourism Officer and the Chair of the Tourism Cabinet and will be responsible for leading the implementation of the Tourism Master Plan.
“I look forward to serving as the Chief Tourism Officer and collaborating with the Tourism Cabinet to enhance the visitor experience while also improving the quality of life for Angelenos,” said Doane Liu, Executive Director, LA City Tourism Department. “The Tourism Master Plan is a destination management plan that helps Los Angeles prepare for long-term growth in the number of visitors to the City, and I’m excited that the Tourism Cabinet will work with public, private and community stakeholders to advance the 22 recommendations in the Plan.”
Prior to the pandemic, tourism and hospitality experienced 11 consecutive years of growth, ultimately topping Mayor Garcetti’s goal of 50 million annual visitors two years early. As a result of the pandemic, overall visitation dropped from 50.7 million in 2019 to 26.9 million in 2020 and approximately 40.0 million in 2021. International travel also dropped from 7.4 million in 2019 to under 2 million in 2020 and under 3 million in 2021.
