Los Angeles Hits Tourism Record For 4th Year

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles has broken its tourism record for the fourth year in a row, and all those visitors helped make Los Angeles International Airport the second-busiest in the country.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday that 43.4 million people made LA their ultimate destination last year — up more than 1 million from 2013.

Records were set for the numbers of international visitors and the hotel occupancy rate, which hit 79 percent.

Meanwhile, an estimated 70.7 million passengers traveled through LAX — up around 6 percent from 2013.

Officials say LA tourism supports some 440,000 jobs.

Garcetti attributed the records to a growing international tourist market — particularly from China — and local efforts to promote tourism, including modernizing LAX terminals.

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