As Los Angeles moves from crisis to recovery, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board CEO Adam Burke has a clear message: "L.A. is open for business."
And he is asking the travel trade to spread the word.
"For two weeks we were fighting wildfires. Now we're fighting misperceptions," Burke said. "I think the travel trade can help quickly correct those misperceptions. There is some urgency to that, because right now is when visitors are planning their summer travel. So we don't want to miss that booking window for the year."
Thanking first responders for "their tireless efforts," Burke said the wildfires are now more than 95% contained and that 98% of Los Angeles was untouched by the fires.
"The best way to support L.A.'s recovery is to continue bringing business to L.A.," he said. "The overwhelming majority of our attractions, our hotels, our restaurants, infrastructure are all completely intact."
Nevertheless, Burke said the city is fighting the spread of misinformation, such as an AI-generated image of the Hollywood sign in flames that went viral. "I've gotten calls from people who thought that was true," he said.
Burke acknowledged lessons from the tragic aftermath of last year's Maui fires, such as making sure potential visitors know that with 44,000 hotel rooms available in the city, there are no concerns about tourists displacing evacuees, and the importance of asking tourists to be respectful to communities still recovering from the devastation in neighborhoods like Altadena and the Palisades.
"We absolutely ask that travelers are very respectful of those communities," he said. "They're grieving a really significant loss."
Burke said it's too early to assess whether there has been any impact on tourism aside from the immediate disruptions in the first weeks after the fires. He said quite a few conferences, such as the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, had not cancelled and had "a completely full house," while the Grammy Awards are being held as planned on Feb. 2.
In a joint letter from Burke and Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta, the tourism leaders implored planners not to cancel future meetings and events in the region.
"Don't cancel your plans -- now is the time to host your event, support our communities and help show the world our resilience," the letter said. "Your support helps this vibrant destination continue to thrive as a beacon of culture, innovation and opportunity."