County Hoteliers on a Roll Despite Drop

Although countywide occupancy dipped just a bit in May, Orange County hoteliers have been on a roll so far in 1997. One of the factors driving robust hotel occupancy is that Orange County continues to attract leisure travelers for longer stays.

According to the latest figures compiled by the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau, 2.9 million visitors stayed overnight in Orange County hotels during the first four months of 1997. That’s up 5.1% during the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, the overall visitor head count barely budged. From January through April, 11.3 million tourists are estimated to have visited the county, up only 60,000, or 0.5%, from the first four months of 1996.

Although this year’s tourist count is running slightly ahead of last year’s, it’s unlikely to exceed the 38.4 million total recorded in 1996, according to bureau spokeswoman Elaine Cali.

That’s because last year’s numbers were pumped up by the unexpected success of Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade, whose farewell season attracted record crowds to the Anaheim park.

Cali doubts that performance can be repeated this year. But she notes that fewer tourists can have just as big a financial impact if they are staying longer and spending more, which appears to be the case so far.

“The overall tourist numbers won’t be as dramatic, but it’s still going to be a very good year,” Cali said.