Tourism workers rally to invite visitors to Vegas

By Kyle B. Hansen

Published Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | 2:10 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | 2:47 p.m.

Hundreds of casino and resort employees gathered Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center to call attention to Americans whose jobs depend on travel.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority organized the 11 a.m. rally as part of the U.S. Travel Rally Day. The event included speakers, workers holding signs and a performance by the Valley High School marching band.

The event was part of a national campaign organized by the U.S. Travel Association to commemorate National Travel and Tourism Week with events in more than 40 cities nationwide.

Speakers at the event included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, LVCVA President Rossi Ralenkotter, LVCVA Vice President Vince Alberta and Las Vegas Hilton employee Bennie Oxford.

Oxford, a personnel supervisor at the hotel, said she's optimistic even though the drop in tourism has hurt the local economy. Oxford said she has about 50 people applying for each position at the hotel.

LVCVA spokeswoman Alicia Malone said between 300 and 500 people attended the event, meeting the organization's goal.

The tourism industry employs about 250,000 Southern Nevadans and injects more than $30 billion into the local economy every year, the tourism authority said.

Tuesday’s rally came on the heels of a recent AP poll that shows Americans plan to travel less this summer.

"There has never been a more important time for all of Southern Nevada to come together to support our main economic driver," Ralenkotter said in a statement, which asked all Las Vegas residents to wear blue today "to show their support for the No. 1 industry to our economy."

Ralenkotter will testify Wednesday in Washington alongside U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) at a hearing on tourism in front of a Senate committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.