California Tourism

Who wants to hang around you when you're down on your luck? And yet California, mired in budget distress and other economic woes, continues to attract visitors: Tourism was up more than expected in 2010, with visits predicted to end the year up 4%. Credit the better-than-expected performance to strong growth among international and business travelers, as well as leisure travelers who upgraded their day trips to overnight stays, according to consultants...

Wondering where to bed down in Gold Country or where to find the best hot springs near Mt. Shasta? The California Tourism Guide 2013 provides hotel, restaurant and attractions listings as well as maps of the Golden State by region. It's good fodder for road-trip inspiration (there are 32 regional ideas to all parts of the state), a tear-out California map and feature stories that might provide a new take on old haunts. "California Cuisine 2.0" highlights farms and fresh-food restaurants around the state and where to find locally made craft brews; "Bring on the Night" profiles the best roof-top bars and swanky hangouts in L.A. The deal: The guide was created by a partnership between the California Tourism Industry and Sunset magazine.

Encouraged by a state tourism campaign to "find yourself here" rather than risk flying the less-friendly skies, Californians are doing just that. Surging in-state travel by Californians, in fact, has more than offset the plunge in nonresident visitors since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state and industry officials said Tuesday. Overall travel this summer in California is now expected to be 7% higher than the summer of 2001, far more upbeat than the 9% decline forecast in January.

The top tourism official for California is also leading the nation's first coordinated media campaign to promote tourism to the U.S. Caroline Beteta, president and chief executive of Visit California, the nonprofit group dedicated to marketing the Golden State, was named interim chief executive of Brand USA, a $150-million media campaign to promote the U.S. to travelers worldwide. Beteta replaces the previous chief executive, Jim Evans, who stepped down Friday. She will also continue to retain her Visit California posts.

As the Southern California's tourism industry remained sluggish, the federal government on Thursday pledged $3 million to help mount a television advertising campaign aimed at attracting visitors to the area in the summer after the Northridge earthquake. But the quake relief grant, announced by U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown during a hearing on federal help for California tourism, was less than was originally requested and met with some opposition from a hotel union.

William O'Connell has been chosen by Gov. Pete Wilson as Orange County's voice on the California Travel and Tourism Commission. O'Connell is one of 37 commissioners who for the next two years will oversee the state tourism division's marketing and spending plans for drawing visitors. The $15-million budget, funded partly by self-imposed assessments in the tourism industry, doubles the state's promotion budget, which ranked near the bottom among states.

Marketing aimed at keeping California's 34 million residents close to home after Sept. 11--along with a much-needed lift in consumer confidence--has helped accelerate a rebound in the state's tourism industry, which was severely hurt after the terrorist attacks. Although some cities have fared better than others, signs of recovery are being noted throughout the state, with many tourism officials adjusting their travel forecasts from less optimistic predictions.

States and many U.S. territories have tourism offices to help visitors. When requesting travel literature, be as specific as possible. Alabama: Alabama Tourism Department, 401 Adams Ave., Suite 126, P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103; (800) 252-2262 or (334) 242-4169, www.alabama.travel. Alaska: Alaska Travel Industry Assn., Visitor Information Center, 2600 Cordova St., Suite 201, Anchorage, AK 99503; (800) 862-5275 or (907) 929-2200, www.travelalaska.com. American Samoa: American Samoa Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 2506, Pago Pago, AS 96799, (684)

Faced with sticker shock at airports and gas pumps, fewer Americans are expected to travel over this Fourth of July holiday weekend, marking the first such decline this decade. But the surge in families deciding to stay closer to home, coupled with bargain-hunting foreign visitors, is translating into a surprising boon for Southern California's tourism industry.

California led the way last year as the United States attracted a record 38.3 million foreign tourists and created a surplus in tourist dollars for the first time in the nation's history, the Commerce Department reported Monday. "Tourism today is the No. 1 export in the United States," said Rockwell A. Schnabel, under secretary of commerce for travel and tourism, in announcing a $450-million U.S. travel surplus.

The California Travel and Tourism Commission has recruited Goose, Maverick and a bunch of vampires to help draw tourists from England to the Golden State. In the latest campaign to promote the state's $95-billion tourism industry, the commission has partnered with a British entertainment firm to show the 1980s movies "Top Gun" and "The Lost Boys" at London's Canary Wharf during the first weekend of September. Both movies are set in California. "Top Gun" is set at the Naval Air Station Miramar (known currently as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar)

Who wants to hang around you when you're down on your luck? And yet California, mired in budget distress and other economic woes, continues to attract visitors: Tourism was up more than expected in 2010, with visits predicted to end the year up 4%. Credit the better-than-expected performance to strong growth among international and business travelers, as well as leisure travelers who upgraded their day trips to overnight stays, according to consultants...

States and many U.S. territories have tourism offices to help visitors. When requesting travel literature, be as specific as possible. Alabama: Alabama Tourism Department, 401 Adams Ave., Suite 126, P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103; (800) 252-2262 or (334) 242-4169, www.alabama.travel. Alaska: Alaska Travel Industry Assn., Visitor Information Center, 2600 Cordova St., Suite 201, Anchorage, AK 99503; (800) 862-5275 or (907) 929-2200, www.travelalaska.com. American Samoa: American Samoa Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 2506, Pago Pago, AS 96799, (684)

Faced with sticker shock at airports and gas pumps, fewer Americans are expected to travel over this Fourth of July holiday weekend, marking the first such decline this decade. But the surge in families deciding to stay closer to home, coupled with bargain-hunting foreign visitors, is translating into a surprising boon for Southern California's tourism industry.

Encouraged by a state tourism campaign to "find yourself here" rather than risk flying the less-friendly skies, Californians are doing just that. Surging in-state travel by Californians, in fact, has more than offset the plunge in nonresident visitors since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state and industry officials said Tuesday. Overall travel this summer in California is now expected to be 7% higher than the summer of 2001, far more upbeat than the 9% decline forecast in January.

Marketing aimed at keeping California's 34 million residents close to home after Sept. 11--along with a much-needed lift in consumer confidence--has helped accelerate a rebound in the state's tourism industry, which was severely hurt after the terrorist attacks. Although some cities have fared better than others, signs of recovery are being noted throughout the state, with many tourism officials adjusting their travel forecasts from less optimistic predictions.

Harry Allan, a New Jersey police lieutenant, got bargain air fares to California. On the agenda for him and his wife: the Pacific Ocean, the redwoods and a church convention. Disneyland and La Jolla top the list for Jim and Brenda Davis. They gathered up their three small children 10 days ago and climbed aboard a jet in Kansas City. Air fares and hotels add up, he said. "There's nothing discount about it." The Allans, the Davises and millions like them are headed for California this summer.

Wondering where to bed down in Gold Country or where to find the best hot springs near Mt. Shasta? The California Tourism Guide 2013 provides hotel, restaurant and attractions listings as well as maps of the Golden State by region. It's good fodder for road-trip inspiration (there are 32 regional ideas to all parts of the state), a tear-out California map and feature stories that might provide a new take on old haunts. "California Cuisine 2.0" highlights farms and fresh-food restaurants around the state and where to find locally made craft brews; "Bring on the Night" profiles the best roof-top bars and swanky hangouts in L.A. The deal: The guide was created by a partnership between the California Tourism Industry and Sunset magazine.

With foreign visitors shying away and many Americans nervous about airplane trips, California's tourism industry is refocusing marketing efforts on its own backyard. California's 34 million residents constitute a "drive market"--visitors who live within driving distance--that tourism officials say is unparalleled in the nation. Though not as free-spending as long-distance travelers, they represent a reliable source of business that travel agents, hotels and attractions are eager to tap.

The tony Beverly Center in Los Angeles today will welcome its newest tenant. But it isn't a hip clothier, chic restaurant or cutting-edge electronics outlet. It's a public-private tourism promotion office known as a California Welcome Center, where travelers can seek help in planning their excursions of the Golden State. It may not sound glamorous, but its potential economic impact may more than make up for its lack of glitter.