L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti set to visit Asia on 10-day trade mission
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will leave Monday for a 10-day trade mission to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong, a trip focused on bringing jobs and investment to L.A. and boosting tourism in the city, his office said.
“Tourism and trade with Asia are integral to our local economy,” Garcetti said in a statement Friday, adding that Los Angeles has a “special bond with our neighbors on the Pacific Rim.”
The mayor will visit Tokyo, Seoul, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong.
A 56-member delegation that includes city staff, elected officials, business leaders and City Hall lobbyists will join Garcetti on all or part of the trip. Councilmen Joe Buscaino, Paul Krekorian and David Ryu are scheduled to visit all or some of the cities, the mayor’s office said.
Executives from American Airlines, United Airlines, Cathay Bank, Trammell Crow and other companies, as well as non-city employees in the delegation, will pay their own way, the mayor’s office said.
Travel costs for elected officials and staff, estimated at $319,000, will be covered by the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports, the mayor’s office said. America Airlines and Delta will also sponsor tourism events on the trip, Garcetti spokeswoman Vicki Curry said.
Garcetti is scheduled to meet with politicians and U.S. ambassadors, as well as executives from Hyundai Merchant Marine, Vietnam Airlines and Hongkong International Terminals on the trip.
Several events are also planned to announce agreements related to Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, a nonprofit focused on green energy that’s subsidized by the L.A. Department of Water and Power.
Garcetti also traveled to Asia in 2014 on a trade mission.
Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
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