Tourism - VEGAS INC

Nevada gas prices notch first monthly drop since September

Kurtis Keeler of Jamestown, N.Y., fills up at a gas station on Blue Diamond Road Thursday, April 14, 2011.

The price of gasoline in Nevada fell this month for the first time since September, according to AAA numbers released today. The Silver State’s average price for a gallon of gas is $3.72, a drop of 22 cents from last month, but still up 85 cents from a year ago when the average was $2.87, the auto club said.

14 June 2011

By Kyle B. Hansen

Travel website says summer interest high in Las Vegas

Tourists walk along the Strip in this April 28, 2011, file photo.

Recent searches on travel websites might be an indication that the summer visitor forecast for Las Vegas is heating up. Las Vegas was the most searched destination for hotels for summer travel on Kayak.com, a price-comparison travel website.

14 June 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

DesertXpress: Is this train ever going to leave the station?

The fully electric DesertXpress trains are expected to take passengers between Victorville, Calif., and Las Vegas in 84 minutes.

Imagine the potential for Southern Nevada’s resort community if it has access to millions of customers within a relatively easy two-hour trip on a fast train. Southern California residents could make a last-minute decision to spend a weekend in Las Vegas and get here and back quickly and safely.

13 June 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas sees 4.8 percent increase in April visitors

Tourists pass by the Flamingo with Caesars Palace in the background Thursday, April 28, 2011.

Las Vegas recorded a visitor volume increase of 4.8 percent in April over the previous year, according to numbers released today by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

9 June 2011

By Las Vegas Sun Staff

Velotta: Delta creates buzz with in-flight magazine section on Las Vegas

Delta Air Lines is a monstrous legacy air carrier with hundreds of flights to hundreds of cities worldwide, but with Las Vegas just another of its destinations, most people have never gotten overly excited about its presence here.

6 June 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Going global: Can LVCVA monetize newfound momentum?

It doesn’t happen very often that Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, skips a meeting with a news media representative when it involves talking about tourism in Southern Nevada.

30 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas expecting bigger crowds this Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend at Tao Beach in The Venetian on May 30, 2010.

Despite rising gasoline, airfare and hotel prices, more Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend this year, and Las Vegas is the No. 1 destination, according to some travel experts.

27 May 2011

By Kyle B. Hansen

Lake Las Vegas’ Ravella dives into pool party biz, but targets families

Celebrities and bikinis have become fixtures on the Strip pool party scene where the liquor flows from morning straight through to when nightclubs open.

27 May 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Tropicana's $180 million renovation turning heads

A view of the renovated pit area at the Tropicana Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

The history of the Las Vegas Strip has been a tumultuous one, defined as much by the wrecking ball as by the construction of some of the world’s largest and most expensive resorts.

27 May 2011

By Liz Benston

Tropicana: Five old things

New rooms. New sports book. New restaurants. The Tropicana has all of those.

27 May 2011

By Liz Benston

Tropicana: Five new things

In the past two years, the 54-year-old Tropicana has undergone a $180 million renovation. It barely looks like its former self -- a property known for having sub-par rooms and tacky décor.

27 May 2011

By Liz Benston

Casino MonteLago reopens at Lake Las Vegas

People browse the streets of MonteLago Village during the grand reopening of Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas on Thursday, May 26, 2011.

It was a Las Vegas scene, circa 2007: Too many people, too few gambling machines and too few parking spaces for the throng of people on hand for what might be the only major casino opening of 2011.

26 May 2011

By Liz Benston

Las Vegas a top destination for busy Memorial Day weekend

Traffic is shown on Interstate 15 in this April 2011 file photo. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said it expects more people to travel to the city this year despite higher gas prices.

Despite rising gasoline, airfare and hotel prices, more Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend this year, and Las Vegas is the No. 1 destination, according to some travel experts. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is predicting a 2 percent increase in visitors this year.

26 May 2011

By Kyle B. Hansen

Competing bill that would prohibit proposed Strip arena advances

CARSON CITY – Without debate, the Assembly passed a bill to head off an effort by Caesars Entertainment to build a $500 million sports and entertainment arena on the Las Vegas Strip.

23 May 2011

By Cy Ryan

Travel group looks to raise money to promote U.S. tourism

The newly formed Corporation for Travel Promotion will begin sorting out in the next four months how it will raise money from the travel and tourism industry to match funds being raised by visa application fees to begin promoting the United States abroad.