Tourism - VEGAS INC

Wynn Las Vegas gets $99 million upgrade after 5 years

The newly designed salon suite at Wynn Las Vegas Wednesday, February 23, 2011.

While some of his Las Vegas Strip neighbors are tattered from several years of use, Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn barely waits for a thread to be out of place at his hotels before calling for a complete remodel. It’s a practice the casino mogul has followed since the beginning of his career, first at the Golden Nugget and now at Wynn Las Vegas.

28 February 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Q&A: Stephen Cloobeck, Chairman of the Corporation for Travel Promotion

"We've got folks on our board from Disney, United Airlines, New York & Co. and California. They're the best of the best," says Stephen Cloobeck, of the Corporation for Travel Promotion.

The way Stephen Cloobeck sees it, the federal government operates with analog equipment in a digital world.

21 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Rebound spells acrimony for Taxicab Authority board

“Wanted: Nevada Taxicab Authority administrator. Must take direction from an inexperienced board of directors just learning the job. Must be willing to take criticism from 16 taxi company executives, two unions and George Knapp. Hours: Long (some say ‘never-ending’). Compensation: Little (it’s a thankless job). Inquire with the Nevada Taxicab Authority.”

21 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Air carrier to partner with casinos on New York flights

A new charter air carrier that will distinctly link itself by name to Las Vegas and increase the number of seats coming in from the New York market by nearly 50 percent plans to begin operations by summer.

21 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Orlando bumps Vegas from top of Orbitz spring break destination list

Aerial views of The Strip in December 2010.

A more family friendly travel destination has bumped Las Vegas from the top spot of the hottest spring break vacation locations on one travel website. After holding steady at No. 1 for two years, Las Vegas moved to No. 2 as Orlando moved into lead spot on Orbitz.com’s list.

19 February 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Developers plan amusement park, retail center on Las Vegas Strip

Developers have proposed plans for an amusement park on this 9.6-acre site across from Mandalay Bay. The site is the location of the former Cloud Nine balloon, which closed late last year. Balloon operators were marking their inaugural flight in this Oct. 8, 2009, photo.

An amusement park is in the works on a site where another family-friendly attraction failed at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.

18 February 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

Las Vegas wedding chapels deal with love recession

Nadya Borislav, left, walks to the elevator after getting married as Brian Rosborough, right, and Anji Le Dent, second from left, of Sunset Beach, Calif., wait for their turn in the chapel at the Little White Wedding Chapel, Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 in Las Vegas.

Eriess Davis didn't want a traditional wedding: No conservative music and rows of unfamiliar guests. She wanted A Little White Chapel, in glitzy Las Vegas. Wearing a mini-dress, David marched with her boyfriend, clad in black jeans, through a set of gold elevator doors, and into a waiting room where they could buy garters, memory books and bride and groom baseball caps.

14 February 2011

CRISTINA SILVA, Associated Press

Nevadans show love for their state with submitted slogans

A few weeks ago, I issued a challenge: Try to come up with a marketing plan for Nevada, recognizing that our state isn’t just about casinos, entertainment and night life, but also full of scenic destinations in every corner.

14 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Las Vegas visitor numbers will grow in 2011, tourism official says

The worst of the economic slowdown is behind Las Vegas and 2011 will mark the beginning of a recovery, according to one analyst and the head of the city’s tourism and convention industry.

11 February 2011

By Buck Wargo

Ravella hotel puts contemporary twist on former Ritz-Carlton

A look at the new Dolce Hotels and Resorts' Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, that will open to the public in place of the former Ritz-Carlton Friday, February 11, 2011.

When guests start checking into the new Ravella hotel today, they’ll find much of the Italian-inspired décor of the old Ritz-Carlton but with some more contemporary flourishes. The shuttered resort — the Ritz-Carlton closed in May — has been given a second chance with the opening of Ravella at Lake Las Vegas.

11 February 2011

By Amanda Finnegan

New hotel banks on Lake Las Vegas bouncing back

Since the beginning of the Great Recession, Lake Las Vegas has become more mirage than the shimmering resort oasis it was marketed to be in travel brochures.

11 February 2011

By Paul Takahashi

Las Vegas Strip casinos notch 4.1 percent win increase in 2010

CARSON CITY – Despite a rocky year, casinos along the Las Vegas Strip posted a gross win of $5.7 billion last year, an increase of 4.1 percent over 2009.

10 February 2011

By Cy Ryan

LVCVA continues press for more lucrative international tourists

A British Airways' B777 passenger jet is welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute during the arrival of an inaugural flight for British Airways at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. The daily non-stop service is between London's Heathrow Airport and Las Vegas.

The LVCVA will continue to press for more international visitors to Southern Nevada, counting on their propensity to spend more and stay longer than domestic travelers.

9 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Dream for UNLV campus has big implications for tourism

When Craig Cavileer stood before the media and Rebel boosters last week explaining plans for a mixed-use development on the UNLV campus, he waxed nostalgic about how he and his family connected with the University of Texas Longhorns on football game days.

7 February 2011

By Richard N. Velotta

Super Bowl, Chinese New Year align for big weekend

Guests walk under Chinese lanterns, decorations for Chinese New Year, at Aria on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. The new year, the Year of the Rabbit, begins Feb. 3.

Two of city’s most popular events — the start of Chinese New Year and the Super Bowl — will collide this weekend, bringing thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to Las Vegas.