COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Summer heated up tourism across South Carolina, state officials say.

Hotel occupancy was up about 2 percent in July, compared with July 2002, said Marion Edmonds, spokesman for the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Edmonds said good weather could explain July's rebound.

"For the past six months, we've had excessive rain, which kept people away from the (46 state) parks," he said. "In a practical sense, a few rainy weekends can have as much as an impact on tourism as did 9-11 or a recession."

Last year, the drought also hurts some state parks that depend on water-based recreation, he said.

"But the drought and excessive rains were anomalies, and we're returning to normal," said Edmonds.

Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia also had a slow spring thanks to the rains, said spokeswoman Sharon Bergeron.

"I'd say we're back to normal now, or maybe even doing a bit better this summer," she said.

Information from: The State