High atop the hollywood hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti held court inside The Three Broomsticks at Universal Studios Hollywood’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to announce a record breaking year for the Los Angeles economy. Universall Studios Hollywood’s multi-year, billion dollar expansion heralded a new era in immersive theme park entertainment and served as the fitting location for Garcetti to share news of the phenomenal growth in both tourism and in local economy. What does this mean for the Los Angeles Haunt industry? Read on.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

Garcetti announced the new records alongside Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and leaders from the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Los Angeles World Airports, and the Port of Los Angeles. There are no signs of the growth trend slowing down either. Just yesterday Garcetti announced the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to be a 1 Billion dollar addition to Exposition Park and today more plans for the future of Los Angeles tourism and the city’s economy were shared.

“This is L.A.’s moment. Los Angeles is welcoming more visitors to our city and passengers through our airport than ever before, our nation-leading Port is making L.A. an even more critical trade gateway to the world, and we are experiencing the kind of job growth that we haven’t seen in a generation,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We’re working hard to keep up the momentum, by going after and landing one-of-a-kind attractions like the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. And here’s the best part: there’s even more opportunity on the horizon, and an even bigger role for L.A. to play on the world stage.”

Chairman of NBC Universal Ron Meyer

It was Garcetti’s goal to welcome 50 million visitors a year by 2020. Those expectations were surpassed as, according to the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, the city welcomed 47.3 million visitors in 2016 — an increase of nearly 4 percent over 2015. It marked the sixth consecutive year of record-breaking tourism growth, and moved L.A. closer to Mayor Garcetti’s goal of welcoming 50 million visitors a year by 2020.

“Los Angeles continues to establish itself as one of the most desirable destinations in the world for tourists and business people alike,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chair of the Budget and Finance, and Job Creation committees. “Whether it’s the sunny beaches and scenic landscape, our diverse communities and cuisines, our rapidly growing technology sector or the lure of movie magic as the global entertainment capital, Los Angeles has something to offer everyone who visits. We’re making tremendous investments into LA’s future to ensure it grows into an even greater metropolis that is transit and business friendly, on the cutting edge of innovation and an unparalleled hub of diversity.”

Ernest Wooden Jr.

“Global desire for the Los Angeles experience is at an all-time high and we are humbled to welcome a record 47.3 million visitors,” said Ernest Wooden Jr., president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. “There’s never been a better time to discover Los Angeles and we invite travelers from across the globe to immerse themselves in our thriving culinary scene, unparalleled cultural experiences and celebrated only-in-L.A. attractions.”

LAX also broke its record for total number of passengers for the third consecutive year. In 2016, 80.9 million travelers passed through the airport, an increase of more than 8 percent over last year. Of those travelers, 22.6 million — or more than 28 percent — were international.

Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint

Good news for air travelers who dread landing at the Los Angeles International Airport. “We are creating an airport experience that makes a great first and last impression of Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “Our focus is on delivering a gold-standard airport that shines with the top-rated airports around the world, by transforming LAX with a $14 billion investment that will bring it into the modern era for today’s traveler.” Garcetti also enforced the claim of a better experience ensuring

Speaking on a purely economic level, The Port of Los Angeles broke a record of its own, moving more cargo in 2016 than ever in its 100-year history. The Port shipped 8.8 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) last year, the most ever by a port in the Western Hemisphere. Insane, no?

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka

“I salute the strong collaboration among the labor workforce, our terminals and the many stakeholders in the supply chain who kept cargo moving speedily and efficiently during a record-breaking year,” said “To handle this much volume without congestion issues is an extraordinary accomplishment and bodes well for the future of the San Pedro Bay complex.”

The records come amid an unprecedented period of growth across L.A.’s economy. Since Mayor Garcetti took office in 2013, the City has created more than 140,000 new jobs, cut the unemployment rate in half, and permitted more than 150,000 new businesses. The economy has come all the way back from the Great Recession, and L.A. now has more jobs than it did at the peak before the civil unrest of 1992.

From Left to Right: Deborah Flint, Ernest Wooden Jr., Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chairman of NBC Universal Ron Meyer, Universal Studios Hollywood President Karen Irwin, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.

Bringing it back home to Universal Studios Hollywood, Ron Meyer, Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal said, “With Comcast NBCUniversal’s unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in the company’s core businesses of production and tourism, Universal Studios Hollywood has achieved record-breaking attendance, created thousands of jobs and had a positive impact on the region’s economy.”

With Los Angeles and the southern California area effectively acting as the world capital of the haunt industry, this is phenomenal news. With more visitors to our fair city, that obviously means, a growing market for things scary. Universal Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood saw record attendance again with expanded nights and despite an increase in pricing. The influx of visitors also powered other area haunts as well. This is already benefiting the park itself with expansion of the theme park footprint and the clout that Universal has in pulling in well known intellectual properties for their annual fall event. It looks like a fun scary future folks. Not just for Universal but for all of Los Angeles and southern California.