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CC- ACTION ITEM: Receive an Update on the City’s Explore Culver City Tourism Program and Provide Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: September 14, 2026
Contact Person/Dept: Elaine Warner / Economic Development Director
Phone Number: (310) 253 - 5777
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: []
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/08/2026)
Department Approval: Adam K. Troy, Assistant City Manager (08/26/2026XXX)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council receive an update on the City’s Explore Culver City tourism program and provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
In January 2026, the City Council approved the Explore Culver City brand and tagline as the first element of a larger promotional campaign to attract visitors, increase tourism and position the City regionally, nationally and internationally. In addition to the traditional Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) paid by hotel guests, restaurants, retail and other commercial businesses all benefit from tourism and special event visitation, which supports the local economy through sales tax revenues.
A successful visitation program creates activity across multiple sectors with the objective to increase the number and economic value of visitors choosing Culver City. As Los Angeles County prepares for the 2028 Olympics and beyond, Culver City has the unique opportunity to implement its Explore Culver City campaign as a component of the City’s broader economic development and placemaking strategy via hospitality house partnerships and international visitation to the regions. The intent is to create a tourism program that is not just accelerated by Olympics but builds and continues to grow a stronger visitor economy after the Games are over.
Culver City Amenities/Assets
As identified throughout the brand development process, Culver City offers numerous amenities for tourists/guests visiting the area from film history and studios, Michelin star restaurants, live entertainment venues, to arts and culture offerings, unique architecture, walkable business areas, and City/community events. To date, Culver City has not implemented a large, coordinated tourism program that brings all these assets together. The objective of the Explore Culver City campaign is to position Culver City as a destination in Los Angeles through elevated marketing and brand awareness.
The first step of this goal has been the development of a dedicated/standalone Explore Culver City website. The website will serve as a digital front door for visitors and is currently being designed to provide information on things to do, curated experiences, event calendar, hidden community gems as well as provide a directory and resources highlighting dining, shopping, hospitality, recreation, and transportation/mobility options. Additionally, the City has allocated approximately $100,000 in this fiscal year to support additional marketing efforts that could include street banners, bus advertisements, digital marketing, radio partnerships and development of other collateral assets.
Hospitality and Entertainment Advisory Council
In July 2026, Staff met with representatives of various hotels to discuss the proposed ballot measure to increase TOT levels from the current 14% to 16% by March 2028. During these discussions, hotel representatives recommended that additional financial resources be provided to support expanded tourism efforts.
To this end, staff recommended that a Hospitality and Entertainment Advisory Council (HEAC) be created to provide strategic guidance for an integrated tourism program over the next two years. The HEAC met on September XX, and will serve as an industry advisory body to the City Manager that provides practical market intelligence, strategic advice and private-sector perspective regarding tourism, hospitality, entertainment, destination development and visitor-serving economic initiatives. It is comprised of approximately 20 stakeholders to provide a balanced cross-section of Culver City's visitor economy in the hospitality and entertainment industries. HEAC will work in an advisory capacity and does not exercise government authority, allocate City funds, bind the City, direct staff, or replace the policy and budget authority of the City Council. Recommendations will be transmitted through the City Manager or designee. HEAC will meet approximately four times each year and provide practical advice to City staff about visitor trends, hospitality conditions and opportunities and barriers to achieve overall objectives.
Program Phased Implementation
Staff recommends implementation of the tourism program in a phased approach over the next two years. The first phase would be a “build” approach to launch the website and initiate a regional campaign. During this phase, the City would focus on:
• Understanding current tourism conditions;
• Establishing baseline data;
• Developing an overall Hospitality Strategy/Plan
• Launching the Explore Culver City brand;
• Creating photos, videos and visitor content;
• Expanding hotel and business partnerships; and
• Testing initial advertising.
The second phase would be “build” phase that would dedicate increased resources to expand advertising, awareness and promotional activities, tourism research and asset development to draw visitors from beyond the region based on proven successes. During this phase, the City would focus on:
• Increasing advertising;
• Promoting Culver City to larger audiences;
• Creating additional visitor events;
• Expanding hotel and restaurant partnerships;
• Pursuing meetings and group travel;
• Increasing regional and national media coverage; and
• Expanding LA28 tourism efforts.
These phases would allow the City to develop a strategic plan, measure results and increase campaign scope thoughtfully. It is anticipated that additional financial resources would be required for each phase which would be presented during the future budget cycles for Council’s consideration. To complement the proposed approach, performance metrics would also be evaluated to justify the City’s investment and determine whether the program should be continued, changed, expanded or reduced. These could include tracking:
• Hotel occupancy;
• Number of hotel rooms sold;
• Weekend hotel stays;
• Hotel tax revenue;
• Visits to the Explore Culver City website;
• Number of people sent from the website to local hotels and businesses;
• Attendance at major events;
• Hotel stays connected to events;
• Restaurant and visitor-related business activity;
• Number of businesses participating in tourism programs
• Private money and sponsorships supporting City tourism efforts; and
• Participation by local and small businesses.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact relative to this report. However, it is anticipated that services may be required to support future Explore Culver City efforts, pursuant to Council direction and/or approval.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
Receive an update on the City’s Explore Culver City tourism efforts and provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
