Aussies Say "G'Day" to LA

According to a story in today's Los Angeles Times, Australians brought the most overseas tourists to LA in 2010. The "G'Day" crowd flocked in record numbers to soak up the settings and personalities familiar from  America's principal exports: television programs and feature length movies. Of course, Los Angeles is a natural gateway for Australians visiting the United States. Southern California's climate bears a striking similarity to the populated areas Down Under. And LA's physically extroverted atmosphere neatly fits the Australian national character.

While Aussies enjoyed life in Los Angeles, they were not the largest group of tourists. That title belongs to Mexico, with Canada a distant second. There are some who would say Anglos are LA's largest tourist group, and that the city, by its history, location, and population, is Mexico's second largest city.