49.5 million visitors, 6.4 million of them international — Mexico surging, Canada collapsing, and Asia split down the middle.
Los Angeles recovered its domestic traveler almost fully; the international ledger is where the story lives — Mexico and Japan up, Canada and France down.
The city welcomed 49.5 million visitors in 2025 — 43.1 million domestic and 6.4 million international — roughly 98% of the 50.7-million record set in 2019.
Mexico is the growth passport: 81,000 arrivals in July 2026, up 12.9% year on year — the largest single inbound market through California gateways.
Canada, historically second, collapsed: 69,522 arrivals in July, with national Canadian travel to the U.S. down 28% by land and 13.3% by air for 2025 — a political-economy loss, not a demand loss.
Asia is split: China sent 58,085 visitors in July; Japan grew 9.1% while South Korea fell 18.3%. The UK added 3.5%.
The soft spots are telling: France −26.5%, the Middle East −24% — markets where visa friction and airfare economics bite hardest.
The Los Angeles arrivals table is a referendum on border policy as much as on destination appeal. Every passport growing into LA — Mexico, Japan, the UK — is a passport with friction removed; every one falling has a story of cost or politics attached. The city’s product has never been stronger; the gatekeeping around it has rarely been tighter. Watch July 2027: if the post-World-Cup tables keep Mexico’s momentum, the shift is structural.
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