NEWS AND BRIEFS : Where Cloudy Days Mean Cheaper Stays

If you know a good rain dance, San Diego should be high on your list of weekend getaways.

Staking their chances on the area’s traditionally good weather, the city’s three Sheraton Hotels have come up with an unusual offer: If the sun doesn’t shine at least once during a 48-hour visit, guests stay for free.

The offer is good through May 24 at the Sheraton Grande Torrey Pines, the Sheraton Harbor Island and the Sheraton Grand on Harbor Island. If the clouds don’t cooperate, the room rate is $129 per night, based on availability and a minimum two-night stay.

“We realize this is a gamble, but we’re willing to bank on Mother Nature,� said Larry Saward, general manager of the Sheraton Harbor Island.

For more information and reservations at any Sheraton, call toll-free (800) 325-3535.

Airport Blues: According to figures compiled by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published in the Paris-based Aeroports magazine, the number of travelers using airports in the United States declined by 1% in 1989, mainly because of saturation of capacities both on the ground and in the air, as well as higher air fares.

However, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas all bucked the trend, with increases of 2.1%, 3.7% and 7.5%, respectively.

American airports remained among the world’s busiest. New York’s Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports handled a combined 74.4 million passengers, the most in the world, followed by Chicago’s two airports with 67.7 million.

London was third with 62.8 million, followed by Tokyo, Los Angeles, Dallas, Paris, Atlanta, San Francisco and Denver.

Any Port in a Storm: Wine lovers have a new spot in which to pass the time if they’re delayed by weather or any other reason at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

A “Wines of America� retail store and wine bar has opened at the airport, and it features 230 different wines from 32 states. It is billed as the first complete collection of wines from states across America.

“Most people can’t believe that there is a port from Louisiana or a sherry from Minnesota,� said Essi Pourhadi, director of operations for Carson International, the company that runs the food and beverage concessions at the airport. “We feature wines from unexpected states like Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio and Colorado, as well as the best wines from California, Oregon and Washington.�

Travelers can find the wine collection at the round building between Terminals 2 and 3. Bottles can be purchased and shipped directly from the airport.

Irish Ayes: Northern Ireland, usually in the headlines over one of the world’s longest-running guerrilla conflicts, had a record year for tourism in 1989 with more than 1.2 million visitors, up 20% over the year before.

Tourists Beware: A Thai government plan to issue identity cards to prostitutes who pass regular tests for acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other sexual diseases has been criticized as “misleading� and “a gimmick to keep the tourists coming� by a leading Thai AIDS campaigner.

Thailand’s brothels, bars and massage parlors lure thousands of foreign tourists as well as locals. The government estimates that there are 80,000 prostitutes in Thailand, but social workers say the figure is much higher.

“This is the government promoting the sex industry,� said Sommatra Troy of the Thai AIDS Society. “Just carrying the card doesn’t mean a girl is free from AIDS.

“Should the customer have to show a card too?�

Sommatra said the system was also open to forgeries and corruption by officials issuing the cards, and accused the government of acting out of concern for the tourist industry--Thailand’s biggest foreign exchange earner--rather than for prostitutes.

On a Musical Note: A project is under way in Mexico City to invigorate the cultural life of Garibaldi Square, the plaza where troupes of costumed mariachi musicians long have serenaded visitors.

The Mexican government has dedicated nearly $1 million to create a music hall and conservatory nearby. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

Plans also include parking facilities to control traffic congestion in the square, a popular tourist destination.

FYI: The Smithsonian Institution in Washington has opened an information center on the National Mall to help visitors sort through the 14-museum complex. In the Smithsonian building known as The Castle, the center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The center includes two orientation theaters, interactive touch-screen terminals, two monitors that list current activities and two electronic wall maps.

Rail-Splitter: A special introductory two-for-one offer for all package tours aboard the California Sun Express has been announced by Princess Tours rail division.

The offer will apply on packages for which travel takes place on or before May 31.

The privately owned California Sun Express started operating April 1 as part of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight between Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and Oakland.

For more information, contact your travel agent or Princess Tours toll-free at (800) 835-8907.