OC Deals to Lure Visitors to Area
By SANDI CAIN
Visitor bureaus, hotels and destinations are scrambling to come up with ways to persuade travelers to visit Orange County this summer after an economic downturn and effects from Sept. 11 hurt the travel trade a year ago.
“We’re hoping that Californians stay in California this year,” said Pattie Davidson, managing director of the Buena Park Convention & Visitors Office.
Having three of the state’s 10 most-visited amusement parks and three of the most popular beaches (Huntington, Bolsa Chica and Doheny) in OC doesn’t hurt.
Despite tightened budgets and intense competition from other nearby markets, the industry’s sales and marketing people are beating the bushes to bring in the crowds.
Those efforts include National Tourism Week, sponsored by the Travel Industry Association, a national trade group, as well as ad campaigns from the state’s Travel and Tourism Commission and the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Both the state’s “California: Find Yourself Here” campaign and OC’s “Objects in Orange County Are Closer Than You Think” promotions target the now-coveted regional drive market (roughly extending as far as Seattle and Denver).
“We’re fortunate that most of our market is already in state,” said Peter Wong, senior director of tourism for the Mills Corp., which operates The Block at Orange and other regional malls.
About 84% of tourists in California come from within the state, and some cities are banking on their past efforts to lure that market to carry them through this year.
“I’m hoping we have some equity there,” Davidson said.
But even perennial favorite destinations like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach are tuning up their powers of persuasion.
Here’s what some area destinations are doing to entice visitors:
Disneyland
Earlier this year, the Disneyland Resort introduced several group and wedding packages. Now they’ve added an engagement package to the mix. The park recently started a “Kids Play Free” promotion that gives children a free ride into the park when accompanied by an adult on some packages booked through the Walt Disney Travel Co. until Sept. 1. And a “Resident Salute” offers local adults admission to the park at the children’s price through June.
At Disneyland, a new show dubbed “Mickey’s Detective School” will debut at the Fantasyland Theater. At California Adventure, “The Power of Blast” show at the Hyperion Theater has been a plus this spring. And a kid-friendly area dubbed “A Bug’s Land” will open later this year in the expanded Bountiful Valley Farm area, which is expected to attract the younger set at California Adventure the way Fantasyland does at the original park, said Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Co.’s chief executive.
Knott’s Berry Farm
A regular pull for locals, Knott’s is expected to debut its newest thrill coaster,Xcelerator,just before Memorial Day weekend. The 205-foot, hot rod-themed coaster will send riders on their way at speeds up to 82 mph in 2.3 seconds from “launch.” In addition, the park plans to add more summer entertainment and is finalizing plans for a “Snoopy’s Red White and Cool Summer” celebration. Soak City,the companion water park to Knott’s that debuted in 2000,opened for the season on May 4.
Laguna Beach
Laguna’s Festival of Arts and Pageant of Masters is expanding the number of events held during the six-week run of the art festival beginning July 4. Twenty-six local art organizations have banded together to publish a three-month summer calendar that will be distributed at area hotels and to residents to make it easier for visitors to pinpoint which events they want to attend,and to encourage them to return.
Hotels
Hotels started offering deals immediately after Sept. 11 when occupancy at some convention-dependant hotels slipped as low as 10%. But though rooms began to fill again within weeks, hotels have added everything from offers of free gas to free meals for kids to shopping coupons for adults to lure business.
Taco Bell Discovery
Science Center
Santa Ana’s science center is featuring “Whodunit”,a 4,000-square-foot hands-on exhibit on the science of crime solving through Sept. 8. The center hopes to capitalize on hit television programs like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Crossing Jordan” that have sparked an interest in forensics.
The Block at Orange
The mall will add a shuttle service to tourist hotels in June. The mall is also working on developing airline packages and a coupon program.
Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau
The Anaheim bureau hired Lou Hammond & Associates in New York to promote Anaheim on the East Coast. Meanwhile the bureau’s $63,000 regional ad campaign,”Objects in Orange County Are Closer Than You Think”,targeted residents from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
OC is featured on American Express’ travel Web site (https://travel.americanexpress.com) and a segment on movie-making at Disney’s California Adventure was featured on the “Best of California” television series from the California Travel & Tourism Commission. Finally, the visitor center is handing out Adventure Cards for discounts at area businesses.
Newport Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau
The bureau has launched a new Web site that offers “Splash into Summer” deals to visitors.
