DATE: Thursday, September 4, 1997           TAG: 9709040435
SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   53 lines

SUMMER TOURISM NUMBERS UP SHARPLY

Sunny skies helped send Virginia tourist revenues up sharply during the first seven months of 1997, business owners say.

The jump, however, may also reflect the fact that Virginia's favorite commercial attractions didn't have to compete for business with the Olympics in Atlanta as it did last year.

Through July, the number of visitors increased 9.5 percent over the same period in 1996, according to research by the Virginia Tourism Corp. That includes historical sites, theme parks such as Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, and the hotels and restaurants on the Virginia Coast.

Visits to the state's national parks were up a modest 0.7 percent, and welcome sites saw a 3.7 percent rise.

One advantage this summer is the absence of hurricanes. In mid-July 1996, Hurricane Bertha skipped across North Carolina's Outer Banks and grazed Hampton Roads, doing little actual damage but frightening away tourists during the prime beach season. Heavy unrelated storms also kept down numbers last summer.

Another factor, tourism businesses said, was the overall strong economy. Nationwide, tourist visits to entertainment attractions are up sharply in 1997. Attendance has increased at national parks, despite fees that doubled during the past year.

Busch Gardens and Water Country USA don't release attendance figures, but spokeswoman Dana Mihaly said it has been a record-setting year for both parks.

``People were running to get in line when the park opened in the morning,'' Mihaly said.

Several historical sites also reported better business. Paid admission was up about 6 percent at Jamestown and 13 percent at the Yorktown Victory Center through late August. Visits at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, were up by 10 percent by late July.

Monticello business officer Wendy Bragaw, however, said the improvement says less about the strength of 1997 than the weakness of 1996.

``Our winter months were incredibly higher in 1997,'' Bragaw said.

During the winter of 1996, repeated ice and snow storms and general poor conditions brought visitor numbers down well below Monticello's average, she said.

That trend held true statewide.

January 1997 showed the biggest monthly attendance gain over a year ago: a huge 33.5 percent overall jump. Will Simmons, a researcher for Virginia Tourism Corp., said 1996's heavy dose of extreme weather laid the tourism industry low, but that this year's numbers signal a full rebound.

``1996 was kind of crazy,'' Simmons said. ``The '97 numbers . . . are probably more comparable to '95. 1996 was really off.''

The Tourism Corp.'s report was based on monthly surveys it receives from tourist attractions around the state.

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