Fires still foul Southern Calif. travel, but San Diego attractions reopen
San Diego hopes to start getting its tourism/convention business back to normal in the next few days after being hit hard by the Southern California wildfires.
Major attractions plan to reopen today or over the weekend and some of the evacuees who packed city hotels are heading home, freeing up hotel rooms, as the fires’ threat to various neighborhoods diminishes.
While some attractions remain closed, the city’s “downtown core, hotels, restaurants, San Diego Zoo, Port and waterfront, along with the airport, are open for business and not directly impacted by fires in the region,” said David Peckinpaugh, president of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau in a statement issued to meeting planners. (San Diego is a major city for conventions, and tourism/travel is one of its biggest industries.)
However, visitors with San Diego-area hotel reservations should contact their hotel to double-check and reconfirm bookings. The visitors bureau recommended new hotel reservations be made through its booking line, 800-350-6205, to ensure correct processing.
Travelers with breathing problems also should be aware the air quality remains unhealthy in much of the area; San Diego’s harbor and downtown area is hazy with smoke. Check air quality at the San Diego County Web site www.sdapcd.org For L.A. air quality, see the Los Angeles County site, www.lapublichealth.org/
Most airlines have allowed travelers to reschedule or cancel their trips to Southern California through the next few days without the normal penalties/fees for flight changes. Airlines have posted their policies on their Web sites. Alaska Airlines, a dominant carrier between Seattle and Southern California, has extended its period for allowing no-penalty changes or refunds through Oct. 29.
Many major attractions that were closed, either because of direct fire threat or the needs of employees, hope to reopen in the next few days. Here’s a rundown:
• SeaWorld San Diego: The marine park remains closed. Fire did not damage the park and animals are in good health. While a re-opening date has not been set, it may reopen Friday.
• San Diego Wild Animal Park; The 1,800-acre wildlife preserve on the outskirts of San Diego hopes to reopen today once public road access is restored. More than 600 acres of the park were burned, but most of that land is in a buffer zone and exhibits were not harmed. Two animals died of complications from the fire, which shrouded the park in thick smoke. More than 3,500 animals, from birds to giraffes, live in the park; some animals that were evacuated have been returned.
• Legoland, a popular child-oriented theme park, plans to reopen Friday. It closed because of general fire concerns and was not harmed by blazes.
• In the city’s sprawling Balboa Park, most museums have re-opened and the city’s San Diego Zoo, which is within the park, remained open during the fires.
• Many San Diego tour companies halted operations this week during the fires but are starting up again. Old Town Trolley Tours, in the historic heart of San Diego, is operating again. Its Seal Tours, in an amphibious vehicle, will resume Friday.
Los Angeles area
L.A. wasn’t as hard-hit by wildfires, which now have been fully contained in the Malibu and Santa Clarita areas. While air quality remains poor because of the smoke - and health authorities have urged people to avoid outdoor exercise - attractions did not close, and, unlike San Diego there weren’t mass evacuations of residents that filled hotels.
Six Flags Magic Mountain in suburban Valencia was in a fire zone but wasn’t harmed. The theme park will open Friday through Halloween night for its popular annual Fright Fest.
Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com