West Hollywood Travel + Tourism Board reveal economic impact, importance of tourism at Tourism Summit 2018.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – West Hollywood Travel + Tourism Board, the official marketing organization for the city, announced 3.59 million visitors to West Hollywood spent $1.73 billion in fiscal year 2017/2018, according to a study by Destination Analysts. These record-breaking findings and more were shared at the West Hollywood Travel + Tourism Board (WHTTB) Tourism Summit 2018 held at the Jeremy West Hollywood hotel.
"Our job is to raise awareness and responsibly drive demand for our 1.9 square mile city," says Tom Kiely, WHTTB President and CEO. "Working collaboratively with our businesses and industry partners is the key to maximizing our visitor economy and having the effective tourism industry we see today."
The $1.73 billion tourism industry in West Hollywood supports 7,958 jobs and creates $49.9 million dollars in taxes generated for the city. The city's largest single source of revenue is the Transient Occupancy Tax, with a recommended amount of $31.75 million in 2018, according to the City of West Hollywood Open Budget 2018.
The WHTTB Tourism Summit was held for over 100 industry leaders, hospitality partners, city officials and other community members in West Hollywood. Alongside unveiling economic impact, WHTTB highlighted key visitor insights and strategic marketing initiatives designed to elevate the brand of West Hollywood and attract visitors from around the world. This year's summit featured presentations from key industry members including Lynn Carpenter, VP of Marketing at Visit California, Don Skeoch, CMO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Erin Francis-Cummings, President & CEO of Destination Analysts, and Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global. Representatives from WHTTB's international agencies of record for travel trade and public relations also presented market insights and opportunities in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom.
The WHTTB Tourism Summit comes on the heels of a new logo and name change in May 2018, along with a new creative campaign and brand communication platform. New hotel projects and renovations to be completed by 2019 will account for a 9% growth in inventory, including 23-room No. 850, sister property to the Sunset Tower, 190-room EDITION West Hollywood, and the transformation of the Jeremy West Hollywood to the 1 West Hollywood.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
