Tourism

New events center coming to Las Vegas Strip

This photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, shows The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, center, at sunset. The Cosmopolitan is developing a 3,000-capacity events center modeled on an Eastern European glass factory. The auditorium is expected to open this year and host conventioneers and events.

The Las Vegas Strip, home to themed casinos that mimic the canals of Venice and the skyscrapers of Manhattan, is getting a new events center modeled on an Eastern European glass factory. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is developing a 3,000-capacity theater that has sat empty since the hotel-casino opened in 2010. The auditorium is expected to open by the end of the year and cater to conventioneers, boxing fans and concertgoers.

24 January 2013
By Hannah Dreier, Associated Press

Speakers at Preview Las Vegas outline a rosy future for the city

Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority speaks during Preview Las Vegas 2012 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

Las Vegas' business power brokers are gathered this morning for Preview Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce’s premier networking event, at UNLV. An estimated 2,000 people are in attendance — the largest number since 2008.

24 January 2013
By Eli Segall,
Richard N. Velotta

LVCVA ad aimed at LGBT travelers getting national attention

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is launching an ad campaign targeted towards the LGBT community.

A Las Vegas ad campaign unveiled in June got a second wind this week after a national publication called attention to the city’s bid to attract gay and lesbian travelers, a lucrative market.

24 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Mandalay Bay in midst of major facelift, its first in 14 years

A view of the construction walls at Mandalay Bay that conceal the renovations to the public, Monday, Jan. 14, 2013.

Mandalay Bay owner MGM Resorts International has embarked on a massive renovation of the 3,000-room resort, the first since it opened in 1999. Construction began late last year and is expected to be completed by summer.

21 January 2013
By Ron Sylvester

County shooting complex now offering 'golfing with guns'

Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins speaks at a new sporting clay course now open at the Clark County Shooting Complex, 11357 N. Decatur Road, on Friday Jan. 18, 2013. The new course takes shooters to 30 target shooting stations across 75 acres of desert in a sport also known as "golfing with guns."

A new $3 million sporting clay course opening Friday at the Clark County Shooting Complex will give visitors and valley residents a chance to “golf with guns” while enjoying scenic overlooks of the Las Vegas Valley.

17 January 2013
By Conor Shine

In sneak peek of memoir, Oscar Goodman details how he came to defend mobsters

Mobster Tony Spilotro, left, and his attorney, Oscar Goodman, walk side by side after a session of the Spilotro trial in 1986. Goodman is writing his memoirs, including his days representing alleged mobsters and three terms as mayor of Las Vegas.

Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman’s memoir about his life as a mob lawyer and his three terms as “happiest mayor in the universe” hits bookstores June 4.

16 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Which Nevada hotels are tops in Travel & Leisure poll?

Bram and Sarah Tihany take in the view from the Mandarin Bar at the grand opening of the Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009.

The Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons were named the top hotels and the Cosmopolitan ranked as the best casino hotel in Nevada, according to readers of Travel & Leisure magazine. Those were Las Vegas' highest-rated entries "500 World's Best Hotels" list released this month.

11 January 2013
By Ron Sylvester

Will Las Vegas reach 40 million visitors for 2012?

Tourists pose in front of the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

A healthy jump in convention traffic boosted visitation in November and gave hope that Las Vegas can still break the elusive barrier of 40 million tourists for 2012. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said today that 3.1 million people visited Southern Nevada in November, bringing the 11-month total to 36.7 million. But December totals are traditionally weak, despite the annual arrival of the National Finals Rodeo. The LVCVA said visitor volume inched up by 2.5 percent for the month, thanks to a 16.7 percent increase in the number of conventioneers attending shows in the city.

10 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

LVCVA ad campaign to drive visitors to trip-booking website

The character Las Vegasdotcom is featured in a new ad campaign for the lasvegas.com trip-booking website.

You probably don’t know much about 45-year-old Las Vegasdotcom. He’s an ordinary-looking guy, an insurance salesman, often confused with the Internet website that’s now selling rooms, show tickets and tours in Southern Nevada on behalf of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

8 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Techies, celebrities and a U.S. president gather for this year's Consumer Electronics Show

A reporter looks at a Sony X-Reality PRO 4K Ultra HD television during a Sony news conference at the 2013 International CES in the Las Vegas Convention Center Monday, January 7, 2013.

Las Vegas' largest annual convention, which attracts techies and celebrities from around the world, opens this week on and around the Strip. The International Consumer Electronics Show trade show floor opens its doors Tuesday, although several activities began Sunday. It is sponsored by the Washington-based Consumer Electronics Association, a 2,000-member organization that supports the $206 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry.

7 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Mark your calendar for this year's top events, conventions

Juan Galdamez sets up a HD Radio booth for the International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2013. The annual CES electronics technology trade show is expected to cover 1.85 million square feet of exhibition space and attract 150,000 attendees. The show begins January 8.

Among the most significant this year will be the arrival of four relatively small conferences that could pay enormous dividends to Las Vegas if history repeats.

7 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

The biggest stories of 2013

It’s a clean slate. After a four-day New Year’s weekend, it’s time to dust off the old crystal ball to predict the top tourism business stories of the year.

7 January 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Passenger traffic at Las Vegas airport dips slightly in November

Southwest Airlines planes sit at McCarran International Airport.

Passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport dropped slightly for the third month in a row in November, according to statistics released Friday. Traffic dropped 0.3 percent in November compared to the same month last year, with a total of 3.31 million travelers arriving or departing.

28 December 2012
By Conor Shine

Rooms remain available at premium prices for New Year’s Eve

A view of a renovated room at the Stratosphere, April 5, 2012.

The booking desk at the Stratosphere stayed busy this week with people seeking last-minute places to crash on New Year's Eve.

27 December 2012
By Ron Sylvester

9 things discovered at the bottom of Siren’s Cove at TI

A crew member paints the pirate ship used in "The Sirens of TI" during dry dock, when water is drained from the bay for maintenance and repairs, at Treasure Island.

Workers never know what they’re going to find at the bottom of the bay at Treasure Island. Shopping carts, baby strollers, even a heavy concrete trash receptacle are among the items found when workers drain the 1.5 million gallon Siren’s Cove for its annual maintenance. Since Dec. 3, the bay where "The Sirens of TI" plays nightly has been empty for painting and repairs.

27 December 2012
By Ron Sylvester
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