Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board (LA Tourism) organized consumer focus groups across five secondary cities in India including Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Chandigarh.
The team from LA Tourism included Don Skeoch, chief marketing officer and Gina Triglia, director of tourism insights. They were accompanied by Regional Director, Seema Kadam, and Lakshmi Hariharan, Manager, Global Communications, who are both based in India.
The team interacted with key trade partners from Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Chandigarh and highlighted new and upcoming developments and events that Los Angeles will be hosting including IPW 2024 and culminating with the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim behind the mission was to get an in-depth understanding of the Indian traveller, particularly given that India is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.
“The estimated growth in travel from India into Los Angeles is exponential and we are excited to be welcoming a greater number of Indian visitors than ever before. There are so many shared passions between Indians and Angelenos, from the obvious connection between Bollywood and Hollywood to our shared love of sport, innovative cuisine and street food, and arts and culture,” says Adam Burke, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board president and CEO.
Don Skeoch, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board chief marketing officer said, “LA is proud to be the only destination in the United States to open an office in India and the only DMO to conduct an in-depth market research study across secondary cities in the country. India is the number one emerging market for Los Angeles and the market study sets a strong base for our marketing and strategy plans for the next fiscal year.”
This year is monumental for Los Angeles as the iconic Hollywood Sign, Warner Bros. Studios, LA Memorial Coliseum, and Millennium Biltmore are all celebrating their 100th anniversary. Other highlights include new museums and attractions like Destination Crenshaw, the largest U.S. public/private Black art program, and Intuit Dome, the new LA Clippers campus– opening in 2024. Los Angeles is an ever-evolving city full of fresh concepts and endless things to discover.
