Unexpected Company Dropping In : And It Proves a Pleasant Surprise for Those Who Depend on Tourist Dollar

For the second summer in a row, the tourism business is catching the operators of the Southland’s tourist attractions off guard.

But this year, blessed with a flood of foreign visitors lured here by the weaker dollar, the owners of the area’s theme parks, hotels and other travel-related businesses are pleasantly surprised.

A year ago, the news was somewhat disappointing. Many of the tourists who visited Canada’s Expo ’86 in Vancouver were expected to come to Southern California as well, but not all of that anticipated business materialized.

Chastened by that experience, expectations were tempered this year. But early estimates are that the Southland’s tourism trade will “easily� be up 10% this year and possibly much more, said Jack A. Kyser, chief economist at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

In 1986, an estimated 77 million visitors overall came to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, and they spent about $19 billion.

Summer is crucial to the local tourism industry, providing about 50% of the revenue it brings to the area, and the biggest share of summer traffic comes in August. This season, the most noticeable trend is the surge of visitors from places such as Canada, Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Foreign tourists normally make up only a small percentage of the state’s tourism trade. For example, in 1985, the latest year for which complete information is available, foreigners accounted for only $4 billion of the $35 billion spent by all tourists in California. This summer, however, circumstances have changed.

“This is the first big influx of foreign visitors in five years,� Kyser said.

The decline in the dollar’s value over the past two years, following several years of appreciation, was singled out by operators of local tourism-related businesses as the prime reason for the influx.

“The value of the dollar has made it very attractive for these people to travel to the United States,� said Mark Feary, Disneyland’s manager of marketing, “Hopefully, they’ll keep up next year.�

Inexpensive air fares also were cited. “The best deal going is in the air these days,� said Ty Stroh, general manager of the Los Angeles Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Air fares between Australia and the United States, for example, are half of what they were a few years ago, according to David Kreindel, general manager for the North America operations of Creative Vacations, which books tours for Australians and Europeans. His firm’s U.S. business is up about 20% from a year ago.

Airport statistics reflect this year’s trend. According to the most recent figures, international passenger traffic through Los Angeles International Airport was 657,095 in June, up 19% from a year earlier, while domestic traffic was up only 7.7%, to 3.3 million.

The same sort of trends have shown up at the area’s tourist attractions. At Disneyland, for example, the number of foreign visitors is up 30% from a year ago. Universal Studios has played host to 40% more foreign visitors so far this summer. The number of domestic tourists is up too, but only in single-digit levels.

Some theme park operators attribute the overall rise in attendance this year partly to new attractions at the likes of Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Knott’s Berry Farm.

“We’re having a great summer. We’re meeting every expectation and then some. We attribute that directly to the new Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, our three new thrill rides and the Spellbound (magic) show,� said Pamela Baker, a spokeswoman for Knott’s.

Merchants Benefit

The arrival of the pandas from China at the San Diego Zoo is expected to help boost attendance there. During June, attendance was running only 2% ahead of the levels in 1986, an exceptionally strong year in which the zoo celebrated its 70th anniversary with special events. Since the pandas went on exhibit on June 27, however, daily attendance has been up 25%.

Meanwhile, shopping centers are trying to pick up extra retail trade from the tourists. South Coast Plaza, for example, is expanding its special marketing program, which includes a free shuttle service to the retail center from over 40 hotels and motels in the Anaheim, Irvine and Newport Beach areas.

Shopping appears to be of increasing importance to tourists. Werner Escher, spokesman for South Coast Plaza, said the U.S. Travel and Tour Administration has identified shopping as tourists’ No. 1 activity.