Las Vegas visitation expected to increase

By Liz Benston (contact)

Monday, Sept. 23, 2002 | 11:04 a.m.

The number of visitors to Las Vegas is estimated to increase by about 8.5 percent from September to December compared to the year before, ending nearly a year of declines and offering further indication that the Las Vegas market is on the road to recovery.

That's according to a representative from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority who spoke to a group of casino marketers Friday.

The figures are only preliminary forecasts, LVCVA research director Terry Jicinsky said at a market research seminar during last week's Global Gaming Expo. The agency expects to release more detailed monthly data over the next several months.

The increase is good news, he said, though reaction should be tempered by the fact that last year marked a significant drop from 2000.

"How we present the data will be a challenge," he told the group.

Moreover, it is only one of many indicators the LVCVA collects to determine the health of the local economy. Monthly reports that include such details as convention attendance, average weekend room rates and auto traffic can offer a more useful explanation of visitor behavior, he said.

The LVCVA is keeping a close watch on such statistics since the terrorist attacks last September.

Las Vegas experienced a 9.2 percent drop in visitors over the four months following Sept. 11 compared to a year ago. From February through May, volume fell 1.9 percent, followed by a 2.7 percent drop from June through August. The August figure is a forecast, and actual figures won't be available until next month.

While Nevada casinos perform their own market research on customer behavior, the industry also relies heavily upon the LVCVA to provide data on customer trends. The LVCVA also depends on research and data forecasts to make decisions about how it markets Las Vegas as a worldwide destination.

The LVCVA, funded primarily by hotel room taxes, has a 2002 marketing budget of about $83 million. About $50 million of that goes to advertising.

More than 8,000 people attended the Global Gaming Expo, which ended Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center and featured more than 600 exhibitors. The expo, the result of a merger between two gaming trade shows, is considered the world's largest casino industry convention.

Highlights included keynote speeches by ABC news reporter San Donaldson and entertainment icon Merv Griffin. The American Gaming Association, which organized the Global Gaming Expo with Reed Exhibitions, honored Griffin's contributions to the casino industry by inducting him into the Gaming Hall of Fame. Former regulator and UNLV professor Shannon Bybee also was honored for his influence on the study of problem gambling.

The American Gaming Association, the industry's chief lobbying group, also honored MGM MIRAGE and Argosy Gaming Co. with Gaming Voice awards. The awards are given to companies for corporate and financial communications such as annual reports, advertising campaigns and Web sites.

HVS Executive Search, a hospitality and human resources consulting firm, presented an award for Top Performing CEO to Craig Neilsen, president and CEO of Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos Inc. The Casino Management Association, an education and networking organization, named MGM MIRAGE spokesman Alan Feldman Gaming Professional of the Year.