After the Riots / NEWS IN BRIEF : LAX Figures Show Tourism Might Be on the Rebound : TRAVEL IMPACT

Tourism this summer might not be hurt as drastically as feared as a result of the rioting, if operations at the city’s primary tourism gateway, Los Angeles International Airport, are any indication.

LAX manager Stephen Yee told the city’s Board of Airport Commissioners that airport operations--from the number of passengers arriving to the number of hot dogs sold--dipped during and immediately after the riots, but not as much as feared.

And operations seem to be picking up faster than expected.

“I don’t think the impact is as great as we thought,” Yee told the board Monday. “We’re looking at a strong summer.”

Airport commissioners had asked Yee to assess the effect that negative worldwide publicity might have on airport operations after hearing that large number of flights into the city had been canceled during the riots. Yee said one Japan Air Lines jumbo jet arrived with only seven passengers on board on the second day of unrest; all other travelers had canceled.

Yee found that international passenger traffic climbed 17% in April compared to the same month a year earlier, but the figure in May was only 11% higher than in the same month a year ago. He cautioned that the 1991 figures were depressed by the Gulf War, but the month-to-month dip in growth this spring indicates that the riots had some effect.

That effect was reflected in concession sales. Airport concessionaires--restaurants, gift shops, newsstands and car rental agencies--reported an 8.8% dip in sales in May, compared to the same month in 1991. Airport parking fees plummeted 18% in the same period.

However, Yee said the continued strength in passenger volume indicates these are temporary effects that should pass quickly.