Los Angeles: We’re No. 2!

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Los Angeles has overtaken Miami as the U.S. city with the second-highest number of overseas visitors, behind only New York.

The latest statistics from the federal Office of Travel and Tourism Industries show Los Angeles had a 33% increase in overseas visitors in 2010 compared with 2009. Miami’s number of such visitors increased 17% in the same period.

Los Angeles hosted 3.3 million overseas visitors last year, compared with New York’s 8.5 million and Miami’s 3.1 million. Orlando, Fla., had 2.7 million, and San Francisco came in fifth, with 2.6 million.

As a state, California ranked third with 5.6 million overseas visitors in 2010, behind New York with 8.6 million and Florida with 5.8 million, according to the federal agency.

Tourism officials say overseas visitors are highly coveted because they tend to stay longer and spend more money than domestic visitors or those from Mexico or Canada.

-- Hugo Martin