Summer looks strong for Disneyland, tourism.

Orange County is in the midst of what looks to be a record-setting year for visitors and spending.

Heading into the tail end of summer, hoteliers, travel agents and other tourism officials are harking back to pre-2001 days to describe the surge. "Business feels as strong as it was in 2000," said Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Disneyland's 50th anniversary is being cited for at least some of the increased business. Walt Disney Co. doesn't release attendance figures for its parks, but there are indications that visitors this year will be on the high end of the 10 million to 14 million people estimated to come to Disneyland annually.

Forecasters expect 44.7 million visitors to Orange County by year's end, a 3 percent increase from a year earlier. Spending is expected to grow 7 percent, to $7.9 billion.

The summer season has been especially strong. For the 28 days ended July 23, Anaheim's hotels had the highest occupancy in the nation, at 87 percent, according to Tennessee-based Smith Travel Research.

Anaheim Resort Transit, which runs trolleys between Anaheim hotels and theme parks, has seen ridership swell by 34 percent from last year. "It definitely has exceeded our expectations," said Diana Kotler, executive director of Anaheim Resort Transit.

Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said he's not surprised by the response.

A ripple effect is being felt in neighboring Buena Park and in beach cities. "Year to date, this is the best year since 9/11," said Pattie Davidson, managing director of the Buena Park Convention & Visitors Office.

The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, Montage Resort & Spa and Surf & Sand Resort all report increases in business of up to 35 percent for the summer months. "We've bad our best July on record," said Blaise Bartell, general manager of the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach.

Foreign arrivals into Los Angeles International Airport in June were up 7.3 percent compared to last year. In the first six months of 2005, 8.5 million international passengers have come through LAX, a 13.2 percent increase from last year and a record number for the airport.

Now with fall just around the comer, attention is turning to how long will the good times last. "We're not quite sure what will happen when kids go back to school," Davidson said.