Ernest Wooden Jr.
President & CEO
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Q: Is your business / organization affected by the recent outbreak of coronavirus? To what extent?
A: First and foremost, our hearts are with our friends in China and elsewhere who are affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Understandably, this unprecedented situation has created uncertainty throughout the travel industry and in other sectors of the global economy. We recognize this will directly impact the Los Angeles tourism economy as China is our number one overseas inbound market for overall visitation with 1.21 million annual visitors. Our veteran industry research company Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, has created a model that forecasts a potential decline of 325,000 Chinese visitors to Los Angeles in 2020 (a decrease of 27.7%), resulting in a possible loss of $921 million in direct spending. We are also expecting declines from other key international markets, however it is too early to quantify this data.
Q: According to your optimistic estimate, how long will it take for tourism to fully recover from the negative impact of the outbreak?
A: Los Angeles Tourism has worked diligently over the past decade to become the number one U.S. destination for Chinese travelers. As such, China remains a priority market for us; we are simultaneously developing longer-term strategies to remain top of mind in this important market as we anticipate a robust recovery once the situation stabilizes, with visitation forecasted to be positive in 2021. In fact, given our high brand awareness and four full-time tourism offices in China, I feel Los Angeles is positioned to recover more quickly than other destinations. Beyond China, Los Angeles has wide global appeal, so our belief is that other international markets will also recover quickly.
Q: What do you think is a key point that our industry must pay attention to when it recovers from the crisis? (Please pick only one)
A: When any real-world crisis experience has ended, it’s imperative our industry – collectively and individually – evaluates its crisis response and preparedness plans. Often, the biggest risk is not the crisis itself, but rather the preparation, management and response. As such, a crisis will provide an opportunity to reassess crisis strategy and improve preparation where it’s needed to ensure its effectiveness for future events.
Q: What change (positive or negative) do you think the outbreak may eventually bring to the tourism industry in the future? (Please pick only one)
A: One positive change we’ll see industrywide as a result of this outbreak will be the need to continually promote healthy travel practices at our airports, hotels, attractions, meeting venues and beyond. We must continue to encourage travelers to always exercise common healthy habits such as washing hands often, staying up-to-date on vaccinations and sneezing into a tissue so that they avoid putting themselves at risk.
Q: Please share with us a story of your business / organization in dealing with the crisis that others may draw experience from. (Please focus on one aspect)
A: Times of global crisis call for unity and strength. Los Angeles Tourism worked swiftly to create a heartfelt response to let our friends, colleagues and partners in China know that we’re thinking about them during this difficult time and that we stand with them in their road to recovery. Our first video message featured a collaboration with a few Los Angeles musicians to create an original piece of music dedicated to the people of China; we also produced a second video message from me personally, emphasizing our solidarity and common humanity for our Chinese travel partners.