Los Angeles mayor asks White House to ensure World Cup fans’ safety
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday (January 28) that the White House must take the lead in ensuring the safety of international visitors and local fans during the upcoming World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
Los Angeles and Orange counties could lose millions of dollars in economic activity if they don’t add lodging facilities when the 2028 Summer Olympics flood the region with tourists.
The report, conducted by Deloitte Finance at the request of Airbnb, looked at the number of lodging options in Los Angeles and Orange counties combined. According to the report, this is the area where most people are expected to stay for the Olympics.
The study found that due to limited supply in the combined region, thousands of visitors may be unable to find accommodations and be forced to stay elsewhere in Southern California. That means Los Angeles and Orange counties could lose some of their tourism revenue.
But the report says opening up more short-term rental properties in the area could help capture economic opportunities that might otherwise be lost. Under the most conservative scenario presented, adding short-term rentals in the region would generate more than $136 million in direct economic activity in jobs and tax revenue, Airbnb said in the report.
How many people will need a place to stay at the 2028 LA Olympics?
Across both counties, an estimated 396,000 people could be accommodated each day in hotels, short-term rentals and university housing, where some visitors stay, the report said.
Let’s take a closer look at where visitors will stay during the Olympics.
- On average, 145,167 hotel rooms become available in the region each day. Technically, more rooms are expected to become available, but hotels rarely reach full occupancy due to factors such as last-minute cancellations and rooms being set aside for other purposes, the report said. Estimates suggest that these more than 145,000 rooms could accommodate 276,000 people per day.
- It can accommodate approximately 102,600 people per day through short-term rentals.
So what’s the problem?
The report breaks down the number of people who will need accommodation during the Summer Olympics.
On average, 388,000 people seek accommodation each night during the game. but:
- More than 400,000 people are expected to seek accommodation over the 13-day period.
- More than 500,000 people will seek accommodation during those five days.
The report says that in the most conservative scenario, increasing the supply of short-term rentals by 20% could sustain more than 79,000 tourists and the economic opportunities they bring. Airbnb projects direct economic opportunities of more than $488 million in the most aggressive scenario, where near-term supply doubles, the report said.
The report remained vague on policy, but cited Los Angeles’ home-sharing ordinance, saying it “prevents the market from deploying flexible capacity.” The ordinance, passed in 2018, created a framework that limits short-term rentals to an individual’s primary residence, according to the city. Also, depending on your home sharing registration type, hosts in Los Angeles can only offer your home for up to 120 days per year.
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, a Southern California business advocacy group, cited the tremendous economic opportunity and surge in tourism that the convention brings.
“Reasonable short-term rental regulations are a practical solution to expand Los Angeles’ lodging capacity without incurring new construction costs,” Waldman said in a statement. “Having more visitors locally increases the benefits of visitor spending for communities and small businesses across LA.”
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. please contact her pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
