Big Disneyland Party May Lure More Tourists

It’s Disneyland’s 35th birthday in 1990 and, if past years are any indication, Orange County’s entire tourism industry will be celebrating.

That’s because the Anaheim theme park is planning a yearlong birthday bash with millions of dollars in giveaways. And the last two times Disneyland has partied in a big way--for its 25th and 30th birthdays--some of the park’s magic rubbed off on virtually all of Orange County’s tourist spots.

“It definitely will help the whole community,” said Craig Jacobs, sales director of the Hyatt Regency Alicante in Garden Grove. “Whenever Disney has a new major attraction or promotion, it impacts the whole (area). There’s just an influx of people.”

“Visitors coming to Disneyland spend a week and not just a day,” agreed Cheryl Ryan, managing director of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. “And they definitely expand into other areas of the county.”

In other words, as Disneyland goes, so goes the rest of Orange County’s tourism industry--hotels, motels, restaurants, transportation firms and entertainment spots.

That, in fact, was one reason why 1989 generally was viewed as a so-so year for the tourism business, with only slight gains, say those in the industry. By delaying the opening of its much-heralded Splash Mountain at least six months until mid-July, Disneyland put a damper on local tourism. (Disneyland postponed opening the ride while technical glitches and design flaws were corrected.)

Uncertainty over the economy had an impact, as well, causing some people to be more hesitant about making long-range plans and keeping others from spending as much as they might have otherwise. Whirl-a-Round Tours in Newport Beach, for example, found that corporate clients who had spent freely in the past on special events “cut down considerably on the budget they were willing to spend--or canceled entirely,” said Barbara Sloate, the firm’s president.

Also, cool, overcast weather along the coastline this year discouraged tourists from flocking to the beaches early in the summer. By year’s end, Newport Beach--one of the county’s most popular seaside leisure spots--expects to have seen about 10 million sunbathers--or roughly the same number as last year, according to the city.

To be sure, there were those who reported impressive tourism increases this year. For many of them, the numbers were the result of a bigger interest in Orange County from foreign tourists--notably travelers from Japan, Australia, Korea, western Canada and Mexico.

The Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, for example, had record revenue of $50 million in 1989--a year when foreign travelers, especially from the Pacific Rim, increased by at least 20%, said Henry E. Schielein, vice president and general manager.

South Coast Plaza saw “heavy increases” in international shoppers this year, said mall spokesman Werner Escher. Of the 18 million shoppers who patronized the Costa Mesa shopping center this year, the percentage of customers who traveled from outside Southern California climbed to more than 20% from the 15.1% recorded in 1988.

Santa Ana-based Roberts Holiday Lines saw a 20% increase in the number of people who booked its charter buses this year, said Dennis Ardecki, sales manager. While Ardecki said that international tourism in general seemed to be down, “we did some Korean business we hadn’t done before. That helped.”

So what’s the net result?

By year’s end, an estimated 35 million people will have visited Orange County this year--up only slightly from the 34.62 million who came here last year, according to the Anaheim Visitor & Convention Bureau. Convention attendance also increased a bit--1,062,347 conventioneers visited the county in 1989, up from 1,026,728 in the prior year, bureau officials said.

With the unimpressive results in 1989, tourism industry experts can’t help but look forward to next year with optimism.

There should be, after all, a new passenger terminal at John Wayne Airport in September--all the better to lure more travelers. The Anaheim Convention Center will be modernizing as well as undergoing a $30-million expansion to add 300,000 square feet of exhibit space and a parking structure.

And, of course, there’s Disneyland.

For the park itself--which saw basically flat attendance of about 13 million this year--the hoopla of the “35 Years of Magic” birthday celebration is expected to make more than a mere dent.

“We hope it will be a record year,” said Jack Lindquist, executive vice president for the park, who believes a weak dollar overseas can only help add to the influx of international travelers.

The park’s 30th and 25th birthday celebrations translated into several additional percentage points in turnstile tallies, said Bob Roth, park spokesman.

Knott’s Berry Farm, the Buena Park amusement park, expects to benefit from Disneyland’s bash--and also will add a $5-million roller coaster called the Boomerang by next summer. “We welcome whatever Disneyland does to bring tourists to Southern California,” said Knott’s spokesman Stuart Zanville.

ORANGE COUNTY TOURISM

ANNUAL VISITORS:

1988: 34.62 million

1989: 35 million

TOURIST SPENDING:

1988: $5.3 billion

1989: $5.5 billion

CONVENTION ATTENDANCE:

1988: 1,026,728 at 284 meetings and conventions

1989: 1,062,347 at 326 meetings and conventions

TOURIST PROFILE:*

Where they come from:

West: 54%

North Central: 12%

South: 8%

Northeast: 7%

Foreign: 19%

Travelers with kids: 43%

Median household income: $39,800

Median age: 36.8 years

Most visited spots in order of popularity:

Disneyland

Knott’s Berry Farm

Universal Studios

San Diego Zoo and Sea World

Queen Mary and Movieland Wax Museum

Beaches

Mission San Juan Capistrano

All 1989 figures are estimates

* 1988 figures

Source: Anaheim Visitor & Convention Bureau