45.5 million.
That's the number of people who visited Los Angeles in 2015, according to tourism officials. If the grand total seems big, that's because it is—1.3 million more people than the year before.
International travelers made up a large portion of tourists—6.7 million total. Chinese visitors jumped 13 percent and South Korean visits grew by 11 percent.
No matter how you feel about tourist destinations like Hollywood Boulevard (we generally just stay away), growth in tourism is good news for our local economy. It means people like us and want to be in us—we can't blame 'em.
It's worth pointing out, however, that these numbers were recorded during a year when the airline industry was booming. Forbes called it a "golden year." Oil prices just kept dropping (nationally, not necessarily at the gas station down the street) making it cheaper for airlines to operate.
Mayor Garcetti attributed the growth to the billions of dollars we're pouring into airports and public transit. He also set a goal for 50 million annual visitors by 2020. Whoa.