Retailers courting tourists

Here's an interesting nugget: The Kitson boutique, best known for its celebrity sitings, generates 50 percent of its revenue from tourists -- and tourists are the best shoppers because they buy more and don't return merchandise. All of which is offering hope for the summer vacation season. From California Apparel News:

A forecasted increase in tourism is enough to boost business forecasts for Rodeo Drive, one of Beverly Hills, Calif.'s most widely recognized retail tourist destinations. Rodeo boutique sales are expected to increase more than 10 percent this summer compared with last year, according to Tom Blumenthal, president of the Rodeo Drive Committee. "2010 seems to be much better," he said.

Clearly, things will be better than last year (though that's not saying much). L.A. County's occupancy rate has been running a little over 70 percent, and revenue per available room is up slightly, decent results in a still-sluggish economy. It's possible that the number of European visitors might be off, what with the euro falling sharply in recent weeks, but traffic from Asia and the Middle East is expected to be strong. U.S. visitors? Okay, but not great.