O.C. Tourism Thriving Despite Fewer Visitors

Occupancy at Orange County hotels is booming, Disneyland is setting attendance records and tourism industry officials are positively giddy about the sizzling summer season of 1996.

So it may come as a surprise that Orange County’s tourist count through August is running nearly 400,000 visitors behind last year’s totals, thanks to a drop in the number of day visitors. It’s now doubtful that the year-end head count will top the 38.7 million tourists who visited Orange County in 1995.

The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, which just finished tallying its countywide visitor totals through the all-important summer season, reports that 26.7 million tourists visited Orange County through August this year. That’s down 1.5% from the 27.1 million over the same period in 1995, a dip that has industry veterans scratching their heads in the wake of so much upbeat news this year.

“In a way, it doesn’t make sense,” said Elaine Cali, spokeswoman for the visitors bureau. “Obviously the summer wasn’t as phenomenal as we thought.”

The reason: day trippers. Through August, about 14.4 million people visited Orange County attractions only for the day, down from the 15 million who visited during the same period a year ago.

Researchers who gather the data aren’t certain exactly why the number of day visitors has fallen off this year. That segment of the market is somewhat volatile and can fluctuate as much as 15% in any given month because of weather, competing regional attractions and a host of other factors, according to Skip Hull, vice president for San Diego-based CIC Research, which tracks tourist numbers for the county.

Thus, he contends, the 4% decline in day trippers through August isn’t necessarily a blow to the local tourist economy or a sign that 1996 is destined to be a bust.

In fact, Hull said, an increase in overnight visitors to the county, coupled with bigger spending by all visitors, should result in record tourist spending in Orange County in 1996. He predicts tourists will drop as much as 6% more than the $5.1 billion they spent in Orange County in 1995, even though there will be fewer of them.

“Money is the real bottom line, not the visitor count,” Hull said. “There is no reason to panic.”

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The critical summer season makes or breaks the year for the majority of Orange County’s tourism-dependent businesses. Thus the countywide tourist head count through August is closely watched and provides a good indication of how the tourist economy will fare for the year.

Anecdotal and empirical evidence to date had suggested that 1996 would be a record-breaking year for Orange County’s tourism industry.

Out-of-towners filled more than 84% of the county’s hotel rooms in August, capping a robust summer that saw occupancy top 1995 levels all season. Record crowds have packed Disneyland to bid farewell to the Main Street Electrical Parade, while the overflow boosted attendance at Knott’s Berry Farm and other local attractions.

That evidence would seem to indicate strength in both the overnight stay and day visitor segments, considering that the Disneyland crowds have included hoards of nostalgic locals.

Nearly 300,000 more overnight guests than last year checked into county hotels through August, boosting the fortunes of local hoteliers. But those numbers were more than offset by a drop in the number of visitors staying overnight in homes and the 600,000-person decline in day-trippers.

“Disneyland isn’t the whole Orange County market,” Hull said. “It doesn’t tell the whole story.”

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Although this year’s summer visitor totals weren’t as high as many expected, the fall head count may well exceed that of 1995, thanks to Disneyland management’s decision to extend the run of the Electrical Parade into late November. The Anaheim park experienced some of the largest crowds of the year in September and October leading up to the final weeks of parade, which was originally scheduled to end Oct. 15.

“We may see some unseasonably higher numbers for the fall,” Cali said. “That could put us close to last year’s” visitor total.

Even if 1996 comes up short with regard to visitor count in Orange County, it won’t matter as long as they leave more dollars behind, Hull insists.

“It’s not a bad year if spending is up,” Hull said. “That’s the number that counts.”

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Tourism Change

Orange County hotels and other tourist-related businesses are having a banner year, but it’s unlikely the number of visitors will surpass last year’s total. Through the busy summer season, the number of day-trippers declined compared to last year, while the number staying overnight--particularly in hotels--increased. Visitor trends, in millions, January through August:

Total Visitors

1996: 26.7

Visitor Profile

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1995 1996 Day trippers 15.0 14.4 Overnight visitors Hotel 6.2 6.5 Home 4.7 4.6 Camping, other 1.2 1.2 Total 27.1 26.7

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Source: Anaheim / Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times