Press Release: Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau
July 4, 2002
LOS ANGELES, CA -- With the summer travel season kicking into high gear over the July 4th holiday weekend, the
Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau forecasted a 2 percent increase in summer leisure travel over 2001
with more people traveling by car.
"We're working hard to assure a solid summer for the Los Angeles visitor industry," said LACVB President
George D. Kirkland. "Industry observers predicted travel would be down dramatically this summer, but we've
bucked that trend with aggressive marketing, including a drive market campaign. On a nationwide scale, the Andy
Warhol exhibition has helped us position Los Angeles as the place to be this summer. People want to get away from
home, and they are coming to Los Angeles."
The LACVB travel forecast mirrors a nationwide study by the Travel Industry Association of America. According to
the TIA survey of 1,300 people, travelers will take shorter trips, spend less money and stay closer to home. According
to TIA, trips will most likely involve driving rather than flying, and revolve around patriotic themes or visiting
friends and relatives.
Atop the Bureau's list of summer attractions is the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown
Los Angeles. The retrospective runs through August.
Other attractions that will generate travel are:
-- Universal Studios Hollywood: The theme park will debut its "Special
Effects Stages," a new attraction showcasing the sleight-of-hand
effects featured in films, and a new "Spider-Man" show.
-- Disney's "The Lion King" show: This is the final summer to catch the
show on the West Coast before it departs for Chicago.
-- This is the first summer visitors can peruse the shops at Hollywood
& Highland and The Grove at Farmer's Market.
For further information, please contact: Carol Martinez of Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, +1-213-236-2357,
fax, +1-213-452-1457, cmartinez@lacvb.com.
SOURCE: Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau