These Tourists Get Taken for a Ride and Love It : Retail: Shopping centers in Orange County provide bus service from hotels to the stores.

For their vacation in Southern California, David and Liane Bailey planned thrills and chills on Disneyland’s Matterhorn and to gawk at Hollywood movie history. But there was one other “E ticket” ride they could not pass up--the shuttle bus to an Orange County mega-mall.

The Australian builder and his wife said they considered the mall visit as important as the famous theme parks during their week in Southern California. But without a rental car or much knowledge of local geography, getting to the mall could be a problem.

So the Baileys hopped aboard a special shuttle bus at their Anaheim hotel and were whisked directly to the mall. In a few hours, they emerged with big bags stuffed with 13 pairs of fancy Nike and Reebok athletic shoes.

“Good shopping!” proclaimed Liane Bailey as she produced a crumpled paper from her pocket listing the friends and family members for whom she and her husband had bought goodies during a $1,000 shopping spree at the MainPlace/Santa Ana mall.

MainPlace is one of three malls that operate regular shuttle service to major Anaheim hotels, hoping to capture a larger share of the tourist market.

The service has paid off handsomely, according to mall managers. MainPlace’s two hotel-to-mall shuttle buses carry an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 shoppers a year. Tourists, most of whom use the shuttles, account for up to 20% of the mall’s more than $200 million in annual sales, said Kimberly A. Anderson, assistant marketing director.

Tourists have helped establish South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa as the top-selling mall in the Western United States. Mall officials say much of the success is due to the single, hourly hotel shuttle. The tony mall is also a regular stop on some Southland tours.

“Because shopping is one of the nation’s most popular pastimes, it is only natural that you would want to participate in your pastime while on vacation,” said Jan Roberts, South Coast Plaza’s marketing director.

Australians and New Zealanders are particularly popular these days with store managers. Because American name-brand merchandise is expensive in their own countries, they tend to spend more than other foreigners when they visit, merchants say.

“When I have an Australian tourist, I can count on at least $120” in sales, said Janee Richardson, a clerk at the Natural Wonders store. With its eclectic assortment of telescopes, nature T-shirts and gemstones, the store is popular with tourists.

The Baileys concede that $1,000 might seem like a lot to spend on shoes. But the same goods would probably have cost twice as much back home in Melbourne. They spent $660 alone at the Foot Locker store at MainPlace/Santa Ana.

“That’s typical,” Foot Locker salesman Ryan Henry said of the Baileys. He said some Australians tourists bring papers with outlines of people’s feet because Australian shoe sizes are different from U.S. sizes.

The City mall in Orange also offers shuttle service, though some hotel concierges say they usually steer tourists toward the bigger, fancier MainPlace and South Coast Plaza. The shuttles cost $5 round trip to South Coast Plaza and $4 to MainPlace and the City mall.

The MainPlace shuttle began about 2 1/2 years ago and serves 18 Anaheim-area hotels. Shuttle riders are treated to a taped orientation in four languages and are given a map, coupon book and glossy paper shopping bag. About 60% of the bus riders are foreigners, with Japanese tourists making up the largest contingent.

The South Coast Plaza shuttle allows passengers to do a little sightseeing during the half-hour ride to the mall. On a recent trip, for example, shuttle driver Mark Todhunter pointed out the huge Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, remarking that the 30,000 panes of glass cost $500 each.

The passengers, most in the standard summer dress of shorts and tank tops, mostly seemed bored with the tour but perked up when the bus arrived at the mall, where they quickly disappeared into the masses.

Later they reappeared, laden with South Coast Plaza shopping bags. They had the same tired, but contented, look that crosses the face of tourists pouring out of an amusement park’s gates at the end of the day.

As if to say, “Great shopping!”