Tourists' Eyes Still Focused on Southland

By MARLA DICKERSON

May 16, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Los Angeles and Orange counties are going to be hot destinations for U.S. tourists this summer--although not nearly as popular as the surging Las Vegas.

In a survey to be released today by the American Society of Travel Agents, the nation’s largest travel trade group, both Southland destinations rank among the top 10 domestic tourist hot spots pegged for summer travel this year.

Los Angeles tied for fifth along with San Francisco and Washington, while Orange County tied with Atlanta and Boston for the 10th spot. Las Vegas beat out perennial favorite Orlando, Fla., as the No. 1 spot for travel this summer--the first time the gambling mecca has ever topped the list.

Both Southland destinations scored higher in last year’s survey--Los Angeles had tied for fourth and Orange County was eighth--but their continued presence in the top 10 shows that the region’s tourism comeback is still going strong. Both dropped off the survey list in the early ‘90s as visitors stayed away due to recession, natural disasters and civil unrest. Now the Southland is firmly back on the minds of both travelers and travel agents, who are reporting strong interest in the West Coast.

“The prognosis looks great for California,” said ASTA spokesman Steve Loucks. “We expect people will be coming to the state in droves.”

The nationwide survey by the Alexandria, Va.-based trade group each spring polls travel agents on where their clients are booking trips for summer vacations. It’s not a perfect prediction of how destinations will fare in the critical summer months because many vacationers don’t use travel agents to book their travel. Nevertheless, it is a good gauge of which spots are heating up and which are cooling down.

This year’s survey findings bolster the predictions of state and local industry watchers who are forecasting a robust 1996 tourist trade. Hotel occupancy was up in almost every area of California in the first quarter of the year, while area theme parks are bracing for record summer crowds thanks to blockbuster new attractions and pent-up demand to travel.

If the economy holds up, gas prices don’t explode and Mother Nature cooperates, California cities should live up to their top 10 billing in 1996, according to John Poimiroo, director of the California Trade and Commerce Agency’s Division of Tourism.

“Markets like San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles are all hot right now,” Poimiroo said. “ . . . The pendulum has swung back our way.”

But tourism officials are also keeping an eye on the competition. Industry watchers credit spectacular new attractions and aggressive marketing for the surge of interest in Las Vegas.

It’s a reminder that Southern California can’t take a rebounding tourist economy for granted when consumers have so many other travel choices, said Diane Baker, president of the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.

“The early ‘90s were a wake-up call for California,” Baker said. “We have to keep thinking regionally to hang on to market share.”

In other survey findings, 71.3% of travel agents polled indicated that their bookings were up over 1995, while overall sales volume in travel agencies for airline ticketing increased more than 4% in the first quarter of 1996 compared with the same period a year ago.

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1996 Summer Hot Spots

A nationwide travel industry survey shows Las Vegas leading Orlando in terms of summer travel destination bookings. Orange County ranked 10th among the most popular U.S. destinations, along with Boston and Atlanta, host of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The county also appeared on the list of destinations experiencing the greatest increase in demand. Survey rankings:

Top 10 Destinations Worldwide

Percent of agents listing these destinations as among their top five bookings for summer travel worldwide:

Las Vegas: 30.4%

Orlando: 20.9

Various cruise ports: 15.8

Cancun, Mexico: 8.2

London/Seattle (tie): 7.6

Paris/Los Angeles/San Francisco (tie): 5.1

Atlanta: 2.5

Top 10 U.S. DestinationsPercent of agents listing these destinations as among their top five bookings for summer travel within the U.S.:

Las Vegas: 46.8%

Orlando: 28.5