Visit California urges Middle East...

Showing the city is open for business, Grammy Awards go ahead with firefighter tribute

With Los Angeles slowly recovering from devastating wildfires, Visit California has called on travel agents from the Middle East to show their support by booking vacations to the city.

Home to Hollywood, LA also offers hiking opportunities, 75 miles of sunny coastline, mega amusement parks and the height of iconic luxury travel experiences in Beverly Hills.

Visit California says 98% of LA County is untouched by the fires and that famous landmarks from the Hollywood sign to Griffith Observatory and Santa Monica Pier are all open and ready to welcome tourists from the GCC and beyond.

Beverly Hills

California had 269 million visitors in 2024, the majority of which was domestic, but international visitors comprised around 17.5 million. Of those, around 68,000 were from the Middle East, contributing US$257 million dollars in spend.

“Our message to travellers is simple: now is the time to visit Los Angeles,” said Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta. “As households across the country – and world – are planning their 2025 vacations, we want everyone to know that Los Angeles remains open and ready to welcome you.”

Earlier today, Los Angeles firefighters were welcomed on stage and the red carpet at the 2025 Grammy Awards in recognition of their efforts in saving lives and protecting property and landmarks. This further sends the message that LA is again open for business.

“One out of five California tourism-related jobs are in Los Angeles County, highlighting just how vital the tourism industry is to the region’s economy and recovery efforts,” said Beteta.

“LA’s local businesses and residents depend on tourism, and there’s no better way to help the region recover than to plan a trip now.”

Following the all-too-recent blow of the pandemic, Connecting Travel spoke with Julie Wagner, CEO of Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau in the aftermath in 2023, about reasons to return to the Golden State. Those reasons are as pertinent now as they were then.

UAE’s Emirates and Qatar Airways both currently operate seven non-stop flights per week between Dubai or Doha and Los Angeles (LAX), with an approximate flying time of 16 hours 25 minutes.