Tourists Love L.A., Survey Says : Southland Expected to Get a Bumper Crop of Visitors

Look for the return of the camera-toting Bermuda shorts crowd to a suddenly disaster-free Southern California this summer.

That’s the conclusion of a new survey, to be released today, that bolsters expectations that tourism here could reach its highest level in years.

Among cities listed as the top five U.S. destinations for summer travel this year, Los Angeles tied with San Francisco for fourth, behind Orlando, Las Vegas and New York. Anaheim is eighth and San Diego is 11th in the annual survey by the American Society of Travel Agents in Alexandria, Va.

Last year, no Southern California vacation spot ranked in the top five in the wake of the Northridge earthquake, then the latest of a series of disasters to strike the region. This year, the glow appears to be back.

“Things really do look good for California, and though Nevada has increased lately, it’s not a huge increase,” said Tom Harlin, a spokesman for the association, which last month asked 342 agents nationwide where they were booking travelers this summer.

Travel agents around the country say the return of tourists to traditional vacation spots such as Disneyland and Universal Studios is being spurred by a subtle image change brought on, in part, by television.

Hit shows such as “Melrose Place” and “Baywatch”--and yes, the O.J. Simpson trial--are named by tour operators as reasons why some vacationers name the Southland as a preferred destination. With its name plastered on the television screen for six hours a day, people can’t help but remember the City of Angels, one tourism official said.

“It’s the mystique of Southern California, the glamour,” said Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau. “I think this is positive, (portrayals of) the beautiful people and the beach scene.”

Other California tourism officials say they are noticing a comeback in the $50-billion industry as well. Fred Sater, spokesman for the State Office of Tourism in Sacramento, said tourism is expected to climb as much as 5% this year, which would be the highest percentage increase since 1991, when the region was mired in recession and worries following the Persian Gulf War.

Exchange rates--particularly involving the strong Japanese yen and weak dollar, which make travel here cheap for Japanese tourists--”is favorable to California,” Sater said. Also, he said, tourism promoters “have been able to get the message out that California is OK and we have rebounded from earthquakes and civil unrest.”

Southern California fared well with bookings among so-called value-conscious consumers. Anaheim ranked fourth with the penny pinchers, Los Angeles was sixth, and San Diego tied with New York for seventh.

Other aspects of the travel agent survey show the Golden State facing some stiff competition, not only from the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, but also from places such as Branson, Mo., a fast-growing country music vacationland in the Ozarks.

Anaheim ranked fourth--tied with Branson--on a list of destinations that have showed the greatest increase in demand compared to the same period a year ago. Los Angeles was 12th, tied with Boston and the Grand Canyon.

When agents were asked to name the biggest domestic destinations recently “discovered” by consumers, they listed Branson first and Las Vegas second. Los Angeles tied for 12th.

Sater said he isn’t particularly worried about such findings, because he believes that California can hold its own against other destinations. Las Vegas’ family appeal may wear thin, he said, and Branson has a select, often older, audience.

The travel agent survey comes as other surveys are finding similarly rosy results. For instance, PKF Consulting found in a monthly survey that Orange County hotel room occupancy climbed 8.5% in the first three months of the year over the same period last year. Los Angeles County’s was up 1.2%.

Some properties have done even better. John Dravinski, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, reported that occupancy has risen to 81% so far this year, up from 65% for the same period last year.

“We definitely see a whole trend happening,” he said.

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Summer Hot Spots

A travel agent survey puts Los Angeles and Anaheim among the top U.S. tourist destinations for summer travel. City rankings and percentage of agents listing the city among their top five summer bookings:

Rank City Percentage 1 Orlando, Fla. 64.3 2 Las Vegas 54.4 3 New York 25.4 4 Los Angeles 24.3 (tie) San Francisco 24.3 6 Seattle 14.3 7 Washington 13.7 8 Anaheim, Calif. 12.0 (tie) Honolulu 12.0 10 Phoenix 11.1 11 San Diego 9.4 12 Boston 9.1 13 Chicago 8.2 (tie) Denver 8.2 15 New Orleans 7.0 16 Miami 6.4 17 Maui, Hawaii 5.8 18 Myrtle Beach, S.C. 5.0 (tie) Tampa, Fla. 5.0 20 Branson, Mo. 3.8

Source: American Society of Travel Agents. Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times