Tourism

LVCVA to spend $296,000 for inaugural Celtic festival

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors today authorized spending $296,000 over two years to develop a new event for the city that would bring bagpipers and drummers, Celtic dancing and athletic competitions.

Las Vegas monthly visitor numbers continue to climb

November marked the third consecutive year-over-year increase in monthly visitation, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced today. More than 2.9 million people visited Las Vegas during November 2009.

Top tourism stories of 2010 to include big changes

At last, we’ve pushed dreadful 2009 out the door, and we can look forward to new and, hopefully, better times ahead.

Survey: Orlando passes Las Vegas as top tourist destination

Las Vegas can no longer pride itself on being the top tourist destination in the United States, according to a new survey. Vegas had been the country's No. 1 tourist destination in an annual survey of trips booked by travel agents since 2003.

McCarran traffic up slightly in November; year is down

From across the pond: The Strip lights up the night behind a British Airways jet.

Traffic at McCarran International Airport was up slightly in November compared with a year ago, and the airport’s busiest carrier, Southwest Airlines, had its most improved month of the year with a 9.3 percent increase in passengers.

Las Vegas hopes to blitz Super Bowl with ads

Executives with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its contracted advertising agency, R&R Partners, will meet early this month to determine if the city’s popular “What happens here, stays here” television ads can be aired during the Super Bowl.

Las Vegas firms learning from recession

Having endured the brutal economic downturn of 2009, Las Vegas businesses have learned a thing or two from the continuing recession.

New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas won’t break the bank

Robbie Knievel jumps in front of the Mirage volcano on the Strip New Year's Eve 2008.

New Year’s Eve couldn’t come soon enough for Strip hotels. After taking a yearlong beating, offering rooms at prices that haven’t been as cheap for a decade, some Strip hotels are sold out for New Year’s Eve weekend at relatively jacked-up prices. The operative word: Relatively.

Alliance pushes high-speed train corridor

A newly created alliance of local transit agencies will try to persuade federal authorities that stimulus money should be used on high-speed rail corridor studies, a move that could put Las Vegas back on the map as a railroad town.

New thrill ride planned atop Stratosphere

The Stratosphere is looking to add a new attraction atop its observation deck for the ultimate thrill seeker.

Holidays bring seasonal drop in Las Vegas room rates

A view of the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas visitors will find some of the lowest room rates of the year around the Christmas holiday. Travel Web sites are boasting low room rates for properties on and off the Strip for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with prices like $32 a night at Palace Station on Vegas.com, $34 at the Sahara on Expedia and $25 a night with a buy one night, get one night free deal at Hooters on Travelocity.

LV visitor numbers increase for second straight month

Las Vegas saw more visitors in October than it did in the same month a year ago, marking the second consecutive month of a year-over-year increase. The LVCVA reported that 3,153,159 people visited Las Vegas in October.

Airline partnerships can leave you cramped

Among the effects of the economy on the airline industry is major airlines’ increased reliance on small, regional carriers to offset cutbacks in their own flight schedules.

As national jobless rate improves, LV sees signs of trouble

A view of the Las Vegas Strip in October from the Strip's south end.

Analysts say Southern Nevada's employment picture remains troubled, despite the surprising nationwide improvement announced today. The U.S. unemployment rate fell in November to 10 percent from October's 10.2 percent.

Airline downsizing shifts passengers to smaller regional jets

One aspect of airline capacity downsizing really hasn’t affected travel to and from McCarran International Airport — and hopefully that trend will continue.