Driving from Canada last week, Tjandra Tjondrotekodjojo's family stopped in Sacramento for only two hours, to see the California State Railroad Museum.

"We're going to Disneyland," he said.

That's part of the problem.

Even in a good economy, Sacramento has a hard time competing for foreign tourists with the state's postcard attractions: the Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood, the granite cliffs of Yosemite.

Today it's even harder. As the number of foreign tourists visiting California drops amid global economic turmoil and swine flu scares, the capital city is finding it even more difficult to capture its share of the market. Those foreign tourists who do come to town often move on after a night or even just a few hours.

At the Sacramento Hostel, a Victorian mansion that attracts budget-conscious travelers, many of them international, occupancy dropped from an already anemic 35 percent in May to just 26 percent in June.

The drop came even though the hostel has held its prices at $25 a night despite rising utility costs – especially for air conditioning.

Faced with the drop-off in tourism, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau recently broadened its marketing strategy, tourism director Terry Selk said.

The message: Instead of just saying "make Sacramento a part of your Northern California vacation," it's "please stay here for more than one day."

The bureau recently decided to expand its Gold Card discount program to include overseas tour groups. If they stay longer than one night, they can use the card for discounts at local shops, restaurants and attractions.

The bureau also is urging hotels to offer package deals including perks such as free parking, and wine and cheese welcome receptions.

The Capitol Holiday Inn has tried advertising abroad with the Gold Card program and more: a $25 Visa gift card for local shopping; a package deal with the railroad museum; in-hotel movie deals.

"It's trial and error," said Aaron Reno, area revenue manager. "We just move with the market and advertise as aggressively as we can on the Web sites."

There's a lot at stake. International travelers brought $18 billion into California last year – 19 percent of total tourism spending, according to the California Travel and Tourism Commission. Spokeswoman Susan Wilcox said the commission is hopeful that it won't drop more than one percentage point in 2009.

"We've had to get a little more aggressive advertising in our international markets," she said.

The commission just opened an office in China.

Overseas arrivals at California airports were down 16 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of 2008.

This month's airline occupancy rate from most top international markets is down 10 percent to 20 percent from last July.

There are no specific numbers on international visitors to Sacramento, said Selk of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Flights from Mexico are the only international arrivals at Sacramento International Airport – most travelers connect through other airports or land in San Francisco and drive here, he said.

Foreigners are staying home for mostly economic reasons. It's the same phenomenon that gave rise to the term "staycation" in the United States.

Europe's flights to California declined 15 percent in the first quarter. Flights from Mexico, with the hardest-hit economy, declined 35 percent.

Fear of infection has also played a role. The swine flu epidemic continues to scare Japanese and Chinese travelers, who Wilcox said are especially cautious about contagious diseases. If the epidemic continues into the fall, it could hurt California's tourism industry further, Wilcox said.

Although overall international travel is down, state tourism officials say there are a few bright spots, notably travelers arriving from Germany and France. Though those countries are experiencing their own economic declines, the exchange rate for the euro makes the United States affordable. French travel to California, for example, increased 9 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from the year-earlier period.

That means Kristin Robinson, a French translator at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park, lately has had more opportunities to speak the language.

"They're doing their big vacations and tours of the U.S.," she said. "Last year was cheap for French travelers, and they heard from their friends that they should come this year."

Some in the tourism industry are hanging on to hope that consumers are just waiting until the last minute to book airline reservations in hopes of getting last-minute deals – a phenomenon that could lessen their losses.

"People were buying in January and February for summer but now are waiting," Selk said. "The airlines need to fill their seats, and the consumer is getting smarter."

Eating breakfast at the Sacramento hostel last week, Robert Gray "from the U.K." came here specifically for a bicycle race – the Gold Rush 1,200 Km Randonnée sponsored by the Davis Bike Club.

He was traveling especially frugally, biking and using public transportation from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Sacramento.

He carried a small tent and a duffel bag large enough to hold about three shirts.

The U.K.'s economic woes didn't prevent him from landing in California, he said, but he's cost-conscious.

"I don't go mad and throw money about," he said. "I'm traveling as light as I can."

Call The Bee's Sarah Frier, (916) 321-1119.