Tourism

Confidence is the key sentiment in gaming and tourism industries

Shane Williams and Judith Lanuza, both of Las Vegas, share a kiss during TributePalooza at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas on New Year's Eve Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

Our state depends on the revenue generated by casinos. Casinos depend on tourists wanting to gamble, dine, shop and be entertained. So what is in store for 2012? The mood is upbeat. Here are the details:

1 January 2012
By Las Vegas Sun Staff

When visiting the Strip for New Year's Eve, know your logistics

Partygoers fill up Las Vegas Boulevard on New Year's Eve 2010.

Don’t end 2011 on a sour note by having your New Year’s Eve plans derailed by traffic issues. Closures begin well before midnight, making a transportation game-plan vital for anyone planning to hit the Strip. Here’s what you need to know.

29 December 2011
By Jackie Valley

New Year's Eve weekend luring in more tourists to Las Vegas over last year

Las Vegas city and tourism officials, at Fashion Show on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, announce details of the citywide 2011 New Year's Eve party.

As celebrities like Kim Kardashian pack the VIP lists, thousands of travelers are packing their bags and heading to Las Vegas this New Year’s Eve.

29 December 2011
By Gregan Wingert

MGM Grand's lion habitat to close Jan. 31

Trainer Katie Massey plays with 8-week-old lions at the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Friday, June 17, 2011.

MGM Grand lions: Resort officials announced Wednesday the property’s iconic lion habitat will close permanently Jan. 31. “That is part of an overall property-wide renovation project,” MGM Resorts spokeswoman Yvette Monet said.

28 December 2011
By Delen Goldberg

Traffic surge at McCarran points to tourism recovery

A United Airlines jet takes off from McCarran International Airport on Friday, Aug. 26, 2011.

A 3.9 percent increase in passengers at McCarran International Airport in November virtually assures the nation’s eighth-busiest airport will serve more than 40 million passengers this year — a benchmark offering further evidence of the Las Vegas tourism industry’s recovery. McCarran officials reported this morning that 3.3 million passengers passed through the airport’s gates in November.

27 December 2011
By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas vs. Dubai: Comparing two world-famous tourist destinations

A view of Dubai's city center is shown from the Burj Khalifa's observation tower.

Two desert cities half a world away — Las Vegas and Dubai — have grown from dusty outposts into tourism empires. Like Las Vegas, Dubai — an emirate located on the Arabian Peninsula — has experienced tremendous growth during the past two decades.

23 December 2011
By Rebecca Clifford-Cruz

Want a quickie wedding, faux wedding or pet wedding? Head to the Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan is opening a "Pop-Up Wedding Chapel" where people can get married on the fly and tourists can gawk at the nuptials.

Las Vegas is home to Elvis weddings, gondola weddings and roller coaster weddings. Now, add pop-up weddings to the list at the Cosmopolitan.

19 December 2011
By Delen Goldberg

Neon Museum visitors center to be finished in May

An artist's rendering of the old La Concha Motel converted into the visitors center at the Neon Museum.

Amid a sea of neon signs recalling Las Vegas’ heritage, officials from the city and the Neon Museum talked about construction of a visitors center they hope will help the site grow into a key piece of downtown’s revitalization. The $1.5 million project will see the historic La Concha motel lobby reimagined as a welcoming space to the Neon Boneyard.

19 December 2011
By Conor Shine

How monorail’s fate might have been different

The Las Vegas Monorail pulls into the Convention Center station on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011.

I’ve always maintained that the Las Vegas Monorail had little chance for success because it has operated despite being incomplete. Critics have continually battered the 3.9-mile elevated work-in-progress transportation system because it doesn’t go where most people want to be.

19 December 2011
By Richard N. Velotta

Caesars' Octavius Tower — with 'small hotel feel' — is set to open

The hallway inside the new Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011.

Las Vegas tourists often come to the city looking for a bargain, especially as the economy continues to falter. Caesars Entertainment is counting on the boutique feel of a new hotel tower to attract customers despite its higher prices. Finishing touches are being put on Octavius Tower, Caesars Palace’s “hotel within a hotel,” in advance of its Jan. 2 opening.

16 December 2011
By Delen Goldberg

Health officials can't pinpoint source of Las Vegas marathon illnesses

A race crew team offers water to runners during the Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon Sunday, December 4, 2011.A spokeswoman for the Southern Nevada Health District said the agency is trying to find a cause of the reported illnesses during the marathon. Some runners complained about the taste of the water but people could have gotten sick from a common source that has nothing to do with the water, she said.

Despite survey responses from more than 1,000 people, health officials can’t yet pinpoint the source of an outbreak of diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and other symptoms reported after the Dec. 4 Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon.

15 December 2011
By Joe Schoenmann

Experts pick casino industry winners and losers of 2011

An exterior view of the newly renovated Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.

The Las Vegas gaming market rebounded this year with a jump in visitor volume nearing the record total of 39.6 million in 2007. Room occupancy rates and gaming revenue are up from the depressed levels of recent years, while visitors have shifted their spending patterns, focusing an ever-larger percentage of their cash on special events and clubs rather than casino floors. So, can you brand Las Vegas a winner in 2011 despite the region’s continued battle with double-digit unemployment, record home foreclosure rates, the ever-present sense of economic uncertainty, and the continued domestic and international expansion of the casino industry?

15 December 2011
By Dave Berns

Rapid-screening lanes open for trusted travelers at McCarran

The security screening process at McCarran International Airport will get easier for customers of four airlines as the Transportation Security Administration opened its first TSA Pre-Check trusted traveler lanes Tuesday.

14 December 2011
By Richard N. Velotta

Eighth fireworks show added to New Year's Eve celebration on Strip

Las Vegas city and tourism officials, at Fashion Show on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, announce details of the citywide 2011 New Year's Eve party.

Revelers heading to the Strip this New Year’s Eve will have even more opportunity to watch fireworks than last year. Las Vegas tourism officials have added an eighth pyrotechnics display to the lineup.

14 December 2011
By Delen Goldberg

AAA: Nevada gasoline prices lowest since February

The average price for gas in Nevada is now the lowest it has been since February after a 21-cent drop in the past month, according to the AAA auto club.

14 December 2011
By Kyle B. Hansen
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