Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Despite government efforts to bolster tourism in Las Vegas , the number of people visiting this city continued to dwindle from January to May this year, data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) showed.

Convention attendance during the first five months this year fell by 30 percent, compared to the same period last year. Visitor volume, meanwhile, dropped by 6.9 percent during the same period.

"Broader economic challenges translated to lower visitor spending," the May LVCVA report stated.

Nevada has been suffering from lackluster tourist visits since the start of the year, due to the sagging national and global economy. Because it has no state income tax, this state’s budget relies heavily on revenues generated from the tourism industry.

"(Thus) the recent decline in visitors to Nevada has unfortunately contributed to the worst state budget shortfall in the state’s history," Nevada Sen. Harry Reid said during a May 13th Senate hearing.

For this reason, the state and local governments in Nevada has been pushing for increased promotions for tourists and business conventions alike.

en. Reid told the same Senate hearing that "Nevada is still the unmatched destination for business or vacations."

"For business meetings, Las Vegas remains an unmatched destination," Sen. Reid told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation and Export Promotion.

The senator also noted that some 1,000 flights come and go into and out of Las Vegas each day and McCarran International Airport connects directly to 132 cities across America and around the world.

For its part, the LVCVA launched last March a comprehensive, online toolkit to provide relevant and timely information, as well as resources, for clients and hotel partners to stay abreast of developments in the meetings industry.

Clients can access statistics, client testimonials and other information showing the reasons events are successful in Las Vegas . Hotel partners will find tools to promote group travel to the destination, as well as updates on developments in business and Congress on the industry.

The LVCVA said the 22,000 meetings and conventions annually in Las Vegas provide 46,000 jobs and $8.5 million in economic acti

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( Published on July 30, 2009 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )