Ed Leamer is traveling to Mexico City with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti this week on the first international trade mission of his administration. Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast and Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in Management, is part of a delegation focusing on increasing tourism and investment in Los Angeles, as well as encouraging businesses and companies to locate to the city.
Leamer will be lending his expertise on economic trends and future trade as the team pursues partnerships and advances existing projects in both countries. He is accompanied by representatives in the entertainment, engineering, design, construction, retail, infrastructure development and environmental sustainability sectors, as well as Councilmember Gil Cedillo, state officials and city staff, and executives from the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. Together, they demonstrate the strength and diversity of the Los Angeles economy and support Los Angeles’ position as a global leader in innovation and creativity and a major hub for international trade.
“Trust and familiarity are essential for trade and investment between countries,” Leamer says. “This critical trade infrastructure is built when students study in foreign countries. That’s why we need more Mexican students in our colleges and universities here in Los Angeles, and we need to send more of our Angeleno students to study in Mexico.”
Mexico is the Los Angeles area’s second-largest export market and one of Los Angeles County’s largest sources of foreign direct investment. According to the 2013 Metro North America report by Brookings, total trade between the Los Angeles Metro Region and Mexico totaled $14.91 billion in 2010. Between Los Angeles and Mexico City alone, total trade amounted to $2.18 billion, and more tourists visit Los Angeles from Mexico than any other country.
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