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Disney destination no longer just a beach town
Not so long ago, it was known as “just a town on the way to beach.” But today, it’s a major tourism center where visitors spend $7.3 billion a year.
Like a movie star, Anaheim was “discovered” in 1955 with the opening of Disneyland Park.
Other tourist attractions quickly followed. The county now is trying to lure even more attractions to lure visitors to stay longer.
Today, 43.5 million visitors a year come here.
The area has also attracted resorts and giant shopping centers. The South Coast Plaza is the third largest shopping center in the US.
Even the convention and visitors market has been expanding with Anaheim offering the largest center in the west (815,000 square feet). Convention business has grown from $13.5 million in the early 1950s to $88.5 million. The area had about 1.2 million convention visitors last year.
Report by David Wilkening
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