Tourism supports more than 540,000 jobs in Los Angeles County—over one in ten across the region’s workforce. The future of this sector relies on the modernization of public facilities such as the Port of Los Angeles Cruise Terminal, Los Angeles Convention Center, and Los Angeles International Airport. All three are undergoing or have ambitious plans for redevelopment to meet rising demand and global expectations.
With the 2028 Summer Olympics creating an even greater need to upgrade the region’s tourism infrastructure, alternative delivery and innovative financing models have never had a more vital role—both in producing world-class facilities and sustaining Southern California’s tourism economy over the long term. This panel examines the financial and transactional realities of tourism-driven infrastructure: assembling a hybrid capital stack (public funding, tax-exempt debt, private debt and equity), structuring contracts and ground leases, managing affordability and risk, and ensuring lasting returns for Los Angeles and its communities.