Los Angeles tourism officials are monitoring the potential impact of protests against the federal government's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Those protests stretched into a seventh day on Thursday.
The protests began on June 6, following a series of controversial ICE raids across Los Angeles, including in Downtown L.A. The situation escalated on June 7, when President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of around 2,000 National Guard personnel to the greater Los Angeles area, and later added approximately 700 Marines, despite opposition from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In response to continuing unrest, Mayor Bass has issued a curfew for Downtown Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., which remains in effect. The curfew area includes downtown L.A. neighborhoods Chinatown and the Arts District as well as the L.A. Live entertainment district.
The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board issued a statement on its website, reassuring travelers that "the greater Los Angeles region remains open for business."
"Visitors are advised to stay informed, follow local guidance and steer clear of areas experiencing temporary disruptions," the tourism board said, encouraging Downtown L.A. visitors to track updates via the city's NotifyLA mass notification system.
The organization also warned that visitors could be impacted by transportation disruptions, citing potential "delays or detours in Metro bus and rail services, especially in and around Downtown Los Angeles" due to protests.
Hotels in impacted and surrounding areas are open. A spokesperson for the Conrad Los Angeles, located in the heart of Downtown L.A., confirmed that the property "remains open and fully operational."
Tom Kiely, CEO of Visit West Hollywood, called the protests "concerning."
"We are monitoring our short-term trends to see what impact these protests might have on our West Hollywood hotel bookings," said Kiely. "So far we don't see any significant impact, but if the protests continue for a while, that might change."
During a June 11 media event in New York hosted by Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Frederic Zemmour, general manager of L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, told attendees that the hotel is already seeing some cancellations.
"Don't cancel," he urged potential visitors. "Los Angeles is very safe."