L.A. breaks tourism record with 27 million visitors in 2011

Thanks to a swell in international visitors, Los Angeles hosted a record number of visitors in 2011, prompting tourism officials to predict they will welcome even more out-of-town guests this year.

Los Angeles County broke the previous record of 25.9 million visitors in 2007 by welcoming 27 million in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, known as LA Inc. The latest numbers are a 4.2% increase over 2010.

Mark Liberman, president of the bureau, attributed the increase to an improved U.S. economy and new attractions to draw visitors, such as the Cirque du Soleil show at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and the 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall that opened in June at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park.

“It’s a city that has something for everyone,” he said.

Spending by visitors grew to $15.2 billion, an 8% increase from 2010, Liberman said. He noted that 5.9 million foreign visitors, a 7% increase over 2010, helped boost overall spending. International travelers spent 12% more in 2011, generating nearly $5.5 billion in revenue.

For the second year in a row, Australia generated the most overseas visitors to Los Angeles, with 383,000 in 2011, a 6.2% increase from 2010. Canada sent 675,000 visitors in 2011, a 13% increase from the previous year, according to the visitors bureau.

ALSO:

Another mystery beneath the Hollywood sign

Hollywood sign neighbors to tourists: Make legal U-turn, go away

Theft of historic ‘Hollywoodland’ signs is finally under investigation