Torrance Kicks Up Some Sand

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Vacationers heading for the L.A. area don’t necessarily think of Torrance as their first stop. Or even their last.

The city of 149,000 is better known for oil derricks and a big refinery than for tourist attractions. When visitors do come near, they tend to gravitate to Torrance’s neighbors, such as Redondo Beach and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Now, the city and a group of hotel owners want to change that with a new visitors’ bureau called Discover Torrance.

“I don’t think people realize what this city has to offer,” said Heather Johnston, executive director of the organization. “We want to promote Torrance as a destination.”

So what exactly does the South Bay city have to offer?

According to Johnston, quality hotels considerably cheaper than Santa Monica’s, a clean 1.5-mile beach, low crime rates, and close proximity to other tourist attractions such as Disneyland and Long Beach.

“We’re kind of trying to put Torrance on the map,” said Linda Amato, general manager of the Doubletree Hotel Torrance/South Bay, one of 14 hotels bankrolling the visitors’ bureau, which opened this month. The hotels are giving 1 percent of their booking fees to support the bureau through a business improvement district created last year.

The organization’s budget for this year is about $500,000, which it will use to place ads in travel magazines, enlist the aid of a marketing firm and launch a website.

Can Torrance attract more tourists?

“We’ve seen lots of cities trying to go after tourists that really don’t have a chance,” said Bruce Baltin, who, as senior vice president at the downtown L.A. office of hospitality firm Colliers PKF Consulting USA, has consulted with the new bureau. “The good news for Torrance is that it actually does have a beach.”

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