BRIEFCASE DISNEY EXEC GETS U.S. TOURISM POST.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

BURBANK - The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts president now has the task of increasing international tourism, as the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board announced Jay Rasulo as its new chairman on Wednesday.

Rasulo will advise Commerce Department Secretary Don Evans as part of a $50 million promotions push to revive the wounded overseas visitors marketing. Rasulo served as president of the media giant's theme park arm for nearly a year.

Care Bears to bow in new video game

CALABASAS - The Care Bears will make their debut on CD-ROM, as video game publisher THQ Inc. announced the release of ``Care Bears: Care-a-lot Jamboree'' on Wednesday. THQ will put the title out with its ValuSoft division, selling it for $19.99 in mass retail channels.

A second title based on American Greetings' retro property will enter stores in the third quarter of 2004.

Auto insurance premiums on rise

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Auto insurance premiums are continuing to rise, increasing an average of 13 percent since 2002, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey released Wednesday.

Customers report spending an average of $1,190 in auto insurance premiums for 2003, up from $1,050 the previous year. Since 2000, customer-reported insurance premiums have increased an average of 32 percent, the study said.

Sprint expanding its local services

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sprint Corp. announced plans Wednesday to expand its local phone service to most of the country, less than a week after the Federal Communications Commission issued rules essentially preserving that kind of telephone competition.

Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint said it will immediately begin offering bundled calling plans that include local, long-distance and wireless phone service in selected markets in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Sprint currently offers local phone service to just 5 percent of the United States.

Appliances help Sears' bottom line

CHICAGO - Sears, Roebuck and Co. said recent gains in appliance sales may lead to its first positive monthly sales results in two years.

The company said late Tuesday that sales at stores open for at least one year are exceeding earlier expectations of flat results for August.

Officials attributed the bump in sales to its new appliance marketing program, citing better prices, a price-match policy, a revamped appliance department and broader selection of ``take-home-today'' items.

Bombardier kin to acquire division

MONTREAL - The founding family of industrial giant Bombardier Inc. teamed up with a U.S. investor Wednesday to buy the company's recreational products division for $860 million.

Laurent Beaudoin, chairman of Bombardier and son-in-law to the founder and snowmobile inventor, J. Armand Bombardier, said the deal will help Bombardier focus on its core business while the newly independent recreational products company has a strong future of its own.

The recreational products division of 7,500 employees, which has yet to be named, makes the market leading Ski-Doo snowmobile and Sea-Doo watercraft, along with all-terrain vehicles, Rotax engines and the Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors.