BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills experienced an increase in both domestic and international tourism during the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

International travel to Beverly hills grew by over 30 percent; domestic travel rose by more than 60 percent.

Julie Wagner, Chief Executive Officer of the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (BHCVB), attributed the increase in tourism to the bureau’s recent sales and marketing initiatives. The BHCVB serves as the city’s destination marketing organization, and draws tourism to the city through “international and domestic travel tradeshows and sales missions, the creation of compelling online content, interactive social media engagement, strategic media relations and PR efforts across the globe, exciting events and much more.”

“Although we’ve had a tremendous year with increased domestic sales and brand awareness for Beverly Hills in key international feeder markets, we have to continue to be proactive,” Wagner said. “In an addition to maintaining our momentum for the destination, we’ve also created a three-year strategic plan for our organization that helps ensure we are constantly bringing fresh and innovative ideas to marketing Beverly Hills, bringing even more tourism and revenue to the city.”

As part of its campaign to market the city on an international level, BHCVB staff members traveled to more than 12 countries over the course of the past fiscal year. In previous years, BHCVB has focused its international marketing primarily in countries such as Australia, China and the United Kingdom, and concentrated its domestic marketing efforts in New York and throughout California. Last year, the organization expanded its international and domestic focus areas. Abroad, BHCVB targeted India, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia; at home, it added Chicago and San Francisco to its high priority zones.

In addition to targeted outreach, the BHCVB also hosts events in conjunction with international partners. Last February, the BHCVB hosted a Chinese New Year event at the Saban Theatre. The sold out event was sponsored by the Chinese government and featured entertainment from the China National Acrobatic Troupe and a Peking Opera performance by Chen Junhua. Among the audience were many tourists from China and other foreign countries.

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which is expected to be open to the public at some point in 2017, is also anticipated by the city to be a significant tourist attraction.