Tourism - VEGAS INC

Las Vegas developer breaks ground on 500-foot Ferris wheel project

An artist's rendering of the Skyvue complex near Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip.

The developer of a 500-foot Ferris wheel and amusement park across from Mandalay Bay held a media event today to launch the project. The wheel will have 40 heated and air-conditioned passenger gondolas that each will hold 20 to 25 passengers.

23 May 2011

By Las Vegas Sun Staff

Five steps to quickly fix Las Vegas' taxi debacle

Cabs wait in line to pick up passengers coming into McCarran Airport Monday, November 8, 2010.

For millions of tourists who visit Las Vegas every year, the first person they meet after getting off the plane is one of the city’s unofficial ambassadors to the world — a taxi driver, 9,500 of whom work in Clark County.

23 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Changes coming for LVCVA, Allegiant kills more routes

Today, I’m “emptying my notebook” of some recent tourism stories. The makeup of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will undergo a big change in July, thanks primarily to term limits and new mayors and councilmen taking office next month.

23 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

'Mexico is a safe place to visit,' country's president tells Las Vegas audience

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, at right, sits with Peter Greenberg to discuss Mexico's tourism industry during the 2011 Travel & Tourism Summit on May 19, 2011, at Aria in Las Vegas.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who has elevated tourism to a cabinet-level post in his country and made the industry’s success a national priority, proclaimed Mexico to be safe for visitors despite news accounts of bloody drug cartel wars.

19 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

In Las Vegas, Janet Napolitano urges streamlined airport security process

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano speaks about advances in airport and travel security at the 2011 Travel & Tourism Summit on Thursday, May 19, 2011, at Aria in Las Vegas.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today asked representatives of the world’s tourism industry for suggestions to streamline airport security bottlenecks that discourage people from traveling. “We’re moving away from the one-size-fits-all security model,” Napolitano said on the last day of the event.

19 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Convention hall for travel and tourism summit a stunner

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter participates on a panel at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit at Aria on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

The set-up at most general conference gatherings is always the same: a stage with a podium or a head table for panelists and rows and rows of seats for the audience.

19 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Panelists say travel still essential to cultivating business

No one really had to convince people at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit that business travel is critical to the industry. After all, many of the 1,000 attendees at the conference at the Aria had to fly thousands of miles to get to Las Vegas for the two-day event that wraps up today.

19 May 2011

Mandarin Oriental not expecting quick return on Vegas hotel

A view of Veer Towers, left, and the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas are shown during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. The photo is taken looking east from the Aria toward Las Vegas Boulevard.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group isn’t expecting a quick return on its first Las Vegas hotel, which it opened at CityCenter in December 2009.

19 May 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

A Cabinet post on tourism? Obama aide says it would be nice

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, admitted that “secretary of tourism” has a nice ring to it.

18 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Corporation for Travel Promotion names first CEO

The Corporation for Travel Promotion announced it has named Jim Evans as the organization's first CEO.

18 May 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

White House again clarifies president’s words on Las Vegas

Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, shown speaking in New York last year, says President Barack Obama's previous statements about Las Vegas were blown out of proportion and that vacationing here is "a terrific way to relax and enjoy yourself."

White House to Las Vegas: Let’s try this again. “I think (President Barack Obama’s) message got blown way out of proportion for what he was intending ...” said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser.

18 May 2011

By Buck Wargo

Travel industry leaders meeting in Las Vegas want U.S. to speed up visas

U.S. companies are losing millions of dollars in international commerce because the process of securing a travel visa to the United States is so cumbersome, a panel of experts concluded today.

17 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Cosmopolitan opens high-roller suites to public

As if the Cosmopolitan’s suites with private terraces overlooking the Strip weren’t exclusive enough, the resort has unveiled a whole other set of pricey rooms.

12 May 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

LVCVA launches $24 million summer marketing campaign

Tourists walk on the Strip Thursday, April 28, 2011.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is extending its marketing reach to boost summer visits to Southern Nevada, unveiling a new promotional campaign that kicks off later this month. The organization’s board of directors got its first glimpse today of its “Life is short. Summer is shorter. Make a splash in Las Vegas” campaign.

10 May 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas notches 13th month of visitation increases on convention strength

Las Vegas saw yet another boost in visitation in March, thanks to a lift in convention attendance, according to numbers released today. The number of visitors for the month increased 5.6 percent to 3.4 million.