Los Angeles, we have good economic news! The city's marketing and travel bureau announced today that tourism is up, bringing more people, thus more money to the City of Angels. more ›

In a ranty-style self-described "love letter" to New York City, writer Laura L.M. Hill uses Los Angeles--well, her weird, limited version of it--to complain about how hotels are currently doing business. The target of her ire is a new hotel that touts to its guests the need to never leave the property, because the amenities on-site are so terrific. more ›

Luxury travel publication Conde Nast Traveler has boldly gone where thousands of Angelenos go everyday. Because, like, they live there. It's L.A.'s "alt-cultural and vegetarian epicenter" Echo Park. more ›

Police are looking for whomever fired shots at a shuttle that was carrying tourists from downtown to the Queen Mary in Long Beach last night. The shooting happened not far from the Queen Mary just after midnight last night. more ›

The rising Pacific has an insatiable, slowly increasing hunger for multimillion-dollar homes. By 2100 the chilly sea could swallow numerous California coastal areas, including Malibu and Venice, according to a state-commissioned study released by San Francisco State University today. more ›

Rocco Piganelli was on vacation with his family in Maui when he took the above photo last Saturday, July 9th. Moments after the photo was snapped the man seen at the far right was knocked down by a wave and vanished into the blowhole, never to return. more ›

At long last, Metro is setting up their extended use passes with some semblance of common sense. Thanks to a Board vote yesterday, during which a Day Pass rate rollback was also approved, starting in August, Metro will have rolling 7- and 30-day passes that will be sold every day. more ›

Los Angeles isn't exactly lacking when it comes to premiere art venues, a thriving gallery scene, and arts-oriented communities. But according to a recent Top 100 list published by Art Newspaper, only two our museums rank among those around the globe for attendance. more ›

Roughly 25.7 million tourists photo-snapped, food-spotted and Star-toured it through Los Angeles last year, up from 23.8 million in 2009. Yet of all the domestic and international visitors that spent a combined $13.1 billion on hotels, restaurants and theme parks in 2010, most came from Australia. That's a first, according to the Daily Breeze. Why are Aussies flocking to our shores? Though we'd like to think it's for our culture and our food and our uniquely LA vibe, we suspect it's not for our beaches. more ›

It seems like only yesterday diners in Los Angeles had their pick of 300 restaurants participating in dineLA's twice-annual "Restaurant Week," and here it is coming up again. True, it was only October, and the Fall edition of the promotion that finds local restaurants offering three-course fixed price menus aimed at welcoming new diners; now we can look ahead to late January and early February for the Winter edition. more ›

Mega conference Comic-Con will stay put in San Diego through at least 2015, organizers announced last night. Officials in both Anaheim and Los Angeles were hoping they could woo the conference, which would be a major boost to tourism. The four-day summer event draws 125,000 people annually. Although the bids were confidential, rumors surfaced that L.A. offered the convention space at no cost. Even if the Comic-Con moved to L.A., some believe downtown doesn't have enough hotel rooms to complete with San Diego. Previously: Photos/Video: The Girls of Comic-Con. more ›

Th last World War II battleship currently without a home may just end up permanently in Los Angeles. If so, it would be turned into a museum -- think Midway in San Diego -- and become a major anchor for development and tourism along the sleepy San Pedro waterfront. more ›

“I’m a supporter of the tourism industry of Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Tom LaBonge, who introduced a motion on Tuesday. “I want to do everything possible to make sure a Los Angeles tour is a great experience for all who visit our city. I also want to lessen the impact of those tours on the neighborhoods. This modest change will address the issues brought to me by residents in high-tour areas.” more ›

When you hear Oxnard, what do you think of? Maybe strawberry farms, maybe Channel Island Harbor or maybe a sleepy beachside town. But officials of the 112-year-old city are not too happy with the name anymore because it doesn't conjure up images that attract tourists. more ›

Amid these belt tightening times, Santa Monica wants to raise the sales tax and Culver City has a similar idea, but they want to hit up tourists for some extra money instead. The City Council Monday night took steps to place a measure on the November ballot that would increase the Transient Occupancy Tax rate from 12 percent to 14 percent, according to the Los Angeles Wave. The tax places a levy on people who buy lodging for 30 days or less. more ›

Your stolen car (or just its parts), friendly bums to chat with at bus stops, all kinds of adult entertainment, drugs, and a school whose mascot is toting a gun--you'll find it in the San Fernando Valley community of Canoga Park. more ›

The region that comprises most of the San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario area has been referred to as the Inland Empire for almost a century. This onetime mecca of citrus growing is now more well-known as a place where your hard-earned dollar gets you a bigger, suburban home a commuter's distance from Los Angeles, and a center of industry in its own right. more ›

And let the back and forth begin. In reaction to Los Angeles' action to boycott Arizona (in some aspects), one Phoenix resident tells the LA Times he's canceling four trips to Los Angeles. "I'm urging all my friends not to go to California this year," he told the paper. "We're not going to come to California." more ›

Microsoft has decided on Los Angeles for next year's Worldwide Partner Conference, which will bring around 15,000 people to the city, generating 50,000 hotel room nights and $45 million local spending, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today. The move comes as the city tries to also woo Comic-Con. more ›

Some hotels are already feeling the pain over Arizona's new immigration law SB 1070, but some believe those effects won't last long, NPR reported yesterday. One example is the Clarendon Hotel in Phoenix where 80 rooms--about $8,000 worth--were canceled in one day last week. At the Arizona Inn in Tucson, the owner had a stack of e-mails requesting cancellation. "The small role I can play is not to add my presence as if everything in Arizona is fine. I shall miss visiting the Sonoran Desert and the Arizona Inn," one e-mail read. more ›

Royal Caribbean's majestic Mariner of the Seas arrived in Los Angeles early last year with a huge splash. One of the cruise line's most luxurious ships, the Mariner has been embarking on Mexican Riveria jaunts from the Port of Los Angeles, at a time when such a trip is proving to be somewhat unpopular. Recently, Royal Caribbean announced that the Mariner of the Seas will be redeployed in January 2011, bringing an end to their brief tenancy here in San Pedro. more ›

Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego are all vying to get Comic-Con. Whoever wins out will reap financial benefits from the massively big and popular convention dedicated to all things action, nerdy and sexy. Filled hotel rooms, full restaurants and more mean good things for L.A.'s job force and sales taxes. Curbed LA notes that a Facebook fan page has been set up for people to show their support. Anaheim has one, too. more ›

Yesterday political big wigs and Hollywood Boulevard business leaders gathered to announce a new campaign for tourism. It wasn't too long ago when Hollywood was seedy, but things have changed. Instead of an average 23-minute stay, tourists stay overnight. For the city as a whole, tourism brought an estimated $13.8 billion to Los Angeles and 25.6 million overnight visitors, all which help sustain 456,000 tourist-related jobs. The Visit Hollywood 2010 campaign will include events up and down the entertainment corridor this year, but also numerous anniversaries, such as The RockWalk (25 years), The Hollywood Palladium (70 years) and Pantages (80 years). more ›

Now here's a reason for L.A. politicians to finally pay attention to the unfinished Core Trail plan, which would giver hikers and equestrians the right-of-way along Mulholland Drive through the city (are you listening Sierra Club member Paul Koretz?). A report released today by the National Parks Conservation Association says visitors drawn to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area--it spans 153,000 acres from Runyon Canyon to the Santa Monica Pier and Point Mugu--spent more than $17 million in 2008. more ›

With L.A. Live in place and the recent opening of the J.W. Marriott (the hotel includes convention space inside), Los Angeles could be a prime candidate for Comic-Con's new home. That is, if rumors are true regarding the famous convention that draws some 126,000 people. The convention's contract with San Diego expires in 2012 and locals are scrambling to keep it from moving to Anaheim, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. The Comic-Con board is expected to make a decision next month. more ›

After years of construction that has changed the face of the famous Hollywood and Vine corner, W Hollywood Hotel & Residences finally opens to the public today, meaning more local jobs--about 600 in total--servicing the 305 large studio’s and one bedroom hotel suites, 143 luxury residences and other amenities such as food, drink and spa. more ›

Los Angeles may have lost its bid to Chicago for the 2016 Olympics (not that they won, anyway), but two City Councilmembers would like to see the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup come here, should the U.S. be selected as the host country. 27 U.S. cities are considered potential host venues--the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was a venue in 1994--but that doesn't mean Los Angeles is a shoe-in. more ›

Since June, Google has been playing with the idea of tourism itineraries within Google Maps. Basically, the service "helps you identify points of interest and plan multi-day trips to most major cities. You just specify the location of your hotel and the length of your trip and City Tours will map out an itinerary for you," explains Google. Still, it's a major work-in-progress. A search for "Hollywood, CA" doesn't show any local sights, but pushes you downtown. That may not be a bad thing because letting people know about more unknown places like The Grier Musser Museum might be a good idea. The first-day itinerary also tells us to check out the FIDM Museum Shop, The Musuem of Neon Art and MOCA. It also tells us to walk 141 minutes from Hollywood to downtown. Whoa, better get started... more ›

Since the LAPD deployed 40 foot officers in the Hollywood and Highland area earlier this year crime has dropped considerably, city officials announced today. An overall reduction in crime has dropped 26% and more specifically, there has been a 21% drop in robberies, 29% decrease in burglaries and a 40% percent decline in auto theft. more ›

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