Chinese come to L.A. for Kobe Bryant but stay off the beach

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As Los Angeles celebrates its fifth straight year of record-breaking tourism, officials in part can thank visitors from China who, despite their reputed disdain for lying on the beach, now make up the second-largest group of international travelers to this sun-drenched city. In fact, China, which a decade ago was not a major player in the Southern California tourism game, last year sent nearly 800,000 people to visit the shops, museums and tourist attractions in and around America's second-largest city. "There is a fascination in China for Los Angeles," Ernest Wooden, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention bureau told Reuters in an interview.