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The Kobe Bryant Hologram Loves Tourism And Is As Surreal As You Think It Is
How do you announce Los Angeles hitting 50 million visitors in 2018? For Mayor Eric Garcetti and the L.A. tourism board, the answer is making Kobe into a hologram that really wants to talk with you about tourism.
The hologram of the Lakers great rises through the stage, gives a shoutout to the political dignitaries assembled to make the tourism announcement, and extolls the virtues of L.A.
"This right here... is a championship moment," the extremely scripted-sounding Kobe tells us. "And that's because this city is always innovating. I mean, check me out -- I'm a hologram!"
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He declares L.A. the sports capital of the world. Then he magically disappears in a glittery poof, because, why not?
The announcement was made as part of an L.A. tourism and hospitality gathering. The L.A. Tourism board plans to use the company that produced the Kobe hologram, VNTANA, for more immersive events throughout the year.
The city had been aiming to hit 50 million tourists by 2020, but managed to do it two years early. In a statement, the tourism board credits an increase in international capacity at LAX, almost 2,000 new hotel rooms, L.A. become more known for being "a hot culinary and cultural destination" -- and L.A. Tourism's own ad campaign.
The number of visitors was up 1.5 million from 2017. The two biggest cities for L.A. tourism were Mexico and China, according to the tourism board -- international visitors make up 7.5 million of the total, while 42.5 million were domestic.
Records were also set in L.A. visitors coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Scandinavia, and India.
Watch a behind-the-scenes video showing how the Kobe hologram was created, including filming at Kobe's corporate offices last month:
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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