The US’s largest inbound travel show descends on Los Angeles for first time in 12 years, as the City of Angels welcomes more than 5,000 delegates – including a large Irish contingent – with with key events at Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is hosting the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, the largest inbound travel trade show in the country, from May 3-7. Attendance at the show is anticipated to surpass 2019 levels, marking the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Previous editions of IPW have had significant economic impact, with an estimated $5.5 billion (€5.1 billion) in future travel to the United States.
Star Power
The Los Angeles Convention Center will serve as the primary venue for IPW, with key events distributed across various locations in the city. The media brunch took place at the Getty Center, while the official opening took place at the LA Memorial Coliseum, where superstar Diana Ross entertained the delegates with some of her greatest hits.
Sunday’s brand USA lunch featured a performance by American alt-rock band Dogstar, whose bass player is Keanu Reeves. ITTN heard from insider sources that Reeves was even willing to shake hands with everyone in the dining hall!
The closing party on May 7 will take place at Universal Studios Hollywood, which will open exclusively to IPW delegates.
For the Irish and British delegation, the annual Brits & Irish party, organised by the Visit USA Committee, was the most well-attended ever, with a record-sized delegation occupying the Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace at the Grammy Museum for the annual meet-and-greet.
Economic recovery for Los Angeles
The return of IPW coincides with the release of Los Angeles Tourism’s 2023 year-end tourism performance report. The city welcomed a total of 49.1 million visitors in 2023, representing a remarkable 97 percent recovery compared to 2019 levels.
The UK and Ireland markets showed notable growth, with a 24% increase in visitors from 2022 to 2023, totaling 310,000 visitors in 2023 compared to 250,000 in the previous year. Although still slightly below the 2019 level of 280,000 visitors, the 2023 figures indicate promising recovery trends.
A vibrant tourist economy
Direct spending in the tourism sector reached $26.3 billion, surpassing 2019 figures by 107 percent. Additionally, the industry provided employment for nearly 540,000 individuals in Los Angeles. Hotel demand saw significant growth, with 30.1 million total room-nights sold, and hotel occupancy rates rose to 71.7 percent, with average daily rates reaching $198.
Adam Burke, President & CEO of Los Angeles Tourism, emphasised the vital role of tourism in the city’s economy, highlighting the significance of hosting IPW as a pivotal moment for Los Angeles’ tourism industry. He expressed confidence in the enduring benefits of IPW for the city’s tourism sector, given sustained global interest in Los Angeles and the expansion of demand generators.
IPW serves as a platform for the international travel marketplace to convene in the United States, aiming to bolster inbound international travel. The 2024 edition anticipates surpassing pre-pandemic attendance levels, with over 100,000 prescheduled business appointments scheduled. This will facilitate connections between more than 1,700 global travel buyers and press representatives with over 5,700 travel professionals from nearly 70 countries, fostering opportunities for collaboration and growth in the travel industry.
