TBM Staff - Mumbai To expand team in India
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board President & CEO Adam Burke made his first-ever visit to India last week, after opening a full-fledged office in Mumbai in 2019. Los Angeles is ready to roll out the red for Indian travellers in 2023. 130,000 Indians carpet visited LA in 2019, injecting USD 305 million in visitor spending to the local economy. It is estimated that 110,000 Indian travellers will visit Los Angeles County in 2023, with full recovery to pre-pandemic levels anticipated in 2024.
“As one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for tourism, we’re proud that Los Angeles Tourism was the first U.S. Destination Marketing Organization to open our own full-time office in India in 2019. We see tremendous opportunities to support the growth of the travel industry in India – particularly given how much our communities have in commo,” said Burke.
He added, “Beyond the long-standing connection between Bollywood and Hollywood as global leaders for cinema and the creative arts – Angelenos and Indians enjoy a shared love of sport, innovative cuisine, and spectacular natural beauty. With an exciting range of new activities and attractions, now is the perfect time to visit LA as we celebrate Hollywood’s Centennial throughout 2023. We look forward to rolling out the red carpet for our guests from India and providing unforgettable experiences you can’t find anywhere else.”
During his visit to Mumbai and Delhi, Burke met with key travel trade stakeholders, industry partners and media to provide information on new tourism offerings in the city, an epicenter of America’s tourism & entertainment industry, as well as to discuss the upcoming activities planned for the year.
With several milestone anniversaries, new openings and infrastructure developments, Los Angeles Tourism is referring to 2023 and beyond as LA 2.0. Burke was accompanied by LA Tourism’s Chief Marketing Officer Don Skeoch, Senior Vice President, Global Tourism Development Kathryn Smits, Senior Vice President, Global Communications Chris Heywood; and Regional Director of India Seema Kadam.
During the visit, Burke and the LA Tourism delegation updated stakeholders about new offerings in and around LA and at the same time, gather insights about the changing trends amongst Indian travellers post pandemic. As tourism from India to LA grows, the tourism board also plans to expand its India regional office this year with the addition of new staff.
