West Hollywood tourism ‘building back’ after wildfires

Visit West Hollywood’s chief executive is optimistic the city will have recovered from its dip in visitor numbers caused by the recent Los Angeles wildfires by June.

Speaking to Aspire, Tom Kiely said: “We were going into January thinking it was going to be our best January on record, but then it really just fell off a cliff.

“We’ve been building back from that, and our best estimate is that, by the end of June, revenue will be exactly where we want it to be.”

To aid this recovery, Visit West Hollywood will introduce a number of booking incentives through different sales channels. It will also run various campaigns, including one to celebrate the city’s 40th anniversary.

“In 2024, the city turned 40 and, after that celebration, we launched a new campaign called Iconic Forever,” said Jeff Morris, Visit West Hollywood’s chief marketing officer.

“We paused it for a minute during the fires, but now we’re bringing it back to let the world know West Hollywood is still the place to be. Iconic Forever spotlights the city’s most iconic destinations, such as our clubs, The Comedy Store and some of the restaurants that are must-see.”

The city will also see the return of its annual Mind and Body Month event in September, following its launch last year. The programme will bring together 66 of West Hollywood’s wellness partners to showcase the city’s offering across fitness and wellbeing.

Kiely described the wildfires that hit the city in January as “unfortunate and unsettling” but highlighted that just 2% of Los Angeles was affected and the region is now ready to welcome visitors.

“We’re 100% normal and back to business as usual. I think there’s been the perception that a lot of LA was damaged or not open or ready for business, but we are,” he said.

Kiely also emphasised how residents who were displaced by the fires were temporarily taken in by hotels across West Hollywood, but now they have moved on and hotels “really need” business.

Picture: Shutterstock/logoboom