LV tourist magazine offering Japanese-language edition

Tuesday, March 28, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

A Japanese-language edition of Showbiz magazine will make its debut as an insert to the weekly guide to Las Vegas entertainment placed in the city's hotel rooms.

Jim McGlasson, general manager of Showbiz, said the insert will include articles and advertisements printed in Japanese.

It's believed to be the first time a foreign-language version of a larger tourism magazine has been published in Las Vegas.

The Japanese version of Showbiz is being published by a partnership of the Greenspun Media Group, the Japan-America Society and Zipang Productions. The Greenspun Media Group is owned by the Greenspun family, which also owns the Las Vegas Sun. Zipang is headed by President Margie Uesugi.

The magazine is expected to debut at the end of April, just before Japan's annual "Golden Week" holiday festivities.

The Japanese version of Showbiz will be distributed monthly with a total of 650,000 copies to be stapled to the spine of Showbiz, which has a weekly distribution of 143,000 copies. The monthly allocation of magazines will be spread out over the weeks of each month.

McGlasson said negotiations are under way to also distribute the publication on Northwest Airlines and Japan Airlines nonstop flights between Tokyo and Las Vegas.

"The features offered in Japanese are mostly about shopping and dining, which is how many Japanese tourists spend their free time when they vacation in Las Vegas," McGlasson said. "By printing it in Japanese, we feel we give them some help while they're here."

Japanese translations of advertisements are offered at a nominal fee to advertisers, McGlasson said.

The magazine also includes a card insert that can be given to resort personnel, with printed questions asking about how to buy show tickets.

McGlasson said if the Japanese venture is successful, the company would consider editions in other foreign languages, with an eye on the growing Latin American market.

Las Vegas is one of the top foreign destinations for Japanese tourists and Japan is the top overseas market for Las Vegas.