Amid fires, California clears the air

— -- Tourism officials in Southern California are eager to get the word out that the region still is open to visitors, despite the devastating wildfires of the past week.

"There's no reason not to come," says David Peckinpaugh, CEO of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It has been a horrible situation, but (the impact on the city) also has been a little overblown. You would think that every single building is burning to the ground."

Though the fires have hit hard to the north and east of San Diego, Peckinpaugh says, they have mostly affected residential areas where tourists don't go. "From a tourism perspective, there really has been little impact," he says.

Peckinpaugh notes the city's downtown core and waterfront have remained open through the week, as have the airport, cruise port and most hotels and restaurants. And though several big attractions in the area such as SeaWorld San Diego and Legoland California closed this week, most will have reopened by today.

David Koontz, a spokesman for SeaWorld, says the park closed only to help in the effort to keep roads clear for firefighters and evacuees, as requested by officials, and to make things easier for employees who needed to evacuate. The park, which reopens today after four days, never was in any danger from the fires, which are miles away, he says.

"We have had no impact to the park's infrastructure or in our ability to operate," Koontz says. And "the animals are doing fine."

Julie Estrada of Legoland California, which also reopens today, says the park is going ahead with this weekend's Halloween-themed "Brick or Treat" event.

Perhaps the biggest lingering effect for travelers heading to the region in coming days will be air quality, which remained at "unhealthy" levels Thursday in many areas because of smoke from the fires, according to San Diego County's Air Pollution Control District (for daily updates, visit sdapcd.org).

The latest on:

•Hotels. Rooms are opening up as evacuees from fire-threatened areas head back home. "There was a mass exodus" from hotels on Wednesday after fire officials gave the all-clear in many locations, Peckinpaugh says.