Travel agencies eager to send tourists to Las Vegas

Angie Wagner

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998 | 9:39 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - As Kyosuke Okada puts it, the Japanese have Las Vegas fever.

Travel magazines fill their pages with pictures of neon and the Fremont Street Experience light show. National newspapers run full page ads touting the nonstop flights between Japan and Las Vegas. Ads marketing the gambling mecca are even seen on subways.

"You can see how seriously they sell Las Vegas," Okada, president of the travel agency Okada Associates, said Monday of the tour operators in Japan.

That's good news for Las Vegas.

With thousands of new hotel rooms being added in the next two years, Las Vegas needs international tourists. Four new resort hotels - Mandalay Bay, The Venetian, Paris-Las Vegas and The Resort at Summerlin - are scheduled to open in 1999, with the Aladdin set to open in 2000.

In recent months, Gov. Bob Miller and a delegation of tourism officials and casino executives have traveled to South America, Europe, Asia and Mexico trying to sell airlines on offering nonstop service to Las Vegas.

Okada and travel agents from Germany and London spoke Monday at the 15th annual Governor's Conference on Tourism at the Bellagio Hotel. The conference continues on Tuesday.

Okada said the Asian financial crisis really hasn't affected the standard of living for many of the Japanese. Many spend big money on Louis Vuitton bags and purses and are eager to book trips to Las Vegas.

"Las Vegas represents a bright spot for the Japanese travel industry," he said.

Recently, Northwest Airlines and Japan Airlines began offering nonstop flights between Japan and Las Vegas.

Okada said JAL will be going to four weekly flights instead of just two in April, bringing even more visitors to Las Vegas.

Japanese tourists are the second largest group of international travelers to Las Vegas. Canada is the top international market while Germany is third followed by the United Kingdom.

T. Keith Mangum, president and owner of Mangum Management in Germany, said the key to attracting German tourists to Las Vegas is inviting tour operators and the press to stay in Las Vegas.

Marketing goes a long way in Germany, where most people have 30 days of mandatory vacation each year, he said.

Stella Ackland, managing director of Cellet Travel Services in London, showed a video on how her agency attracts tourists to Las Vegas. They courted airlines and potential travelers at a trade show and even showed off several taxis with ads for Las Vegas on their doors.

"Please, we need your help. The supply is there. Please look to the United Kingdom," she said.