Tourism

A lift for international tourism: Monday, April 22, 2013; Merger between American Airlines and US Airways could be good for Las Vegas; By Richard N. Velotta; If you merge one company named American with another named US, you might expect something really big for the United States. But for Las Vegas, the imminent merger between American Airlines and US Airways likely will have more international implications than domestic ones.

State slogan not a smash hit: Monday, April 15, 2013; The R.V. Column: ‘What happens here, stays here’ sets the bar too high for ‘A world within’ to clear; By Richard N. Velotta; With memories of the “What happens here, stays here” campaign fresh in people’s minds, many in the community waited with anticipation for the Nevada Tourism Commission’s new brand and catchphrase, which cost millions of dollars and has been in development for close to two years.

Despite criticism, state tourism officials hope new slogan will boost business: Saturday, April 13, 2013; Business:; By Richard N. Velotta; The director of the state Tourism Commission said that while many critics have pounced on Nevada's new tagline, she's confident the slogan will be embraced by residents and help attract tourists and businesses to the state.

Sushi and small plates: Two local resorts in running for best hotel food in US: Friday, April 12, 2013; By Ed Komenda; The foodies have spoken, and two Las Vegas hotels have been nominated by Bon Appétit to compete for a spot on the magazine’s list of “10 Best Food Lover’s Hotels.” The Cosmopolitan and Caesars Palace made the cut, joining a list of 40 hotels across the country.

Second downtown hotel in as many days stops taking reservations: Thursday, April 11, 2013; By Ed Komenda; If you want a room at the Las Vegas Club next month, you’re out of luck. The downtown haunt is closing its more than 400 guest rooms. “Guest rooms at the property were only available for reservations on the weekends,” said Jonathan Jossel, director of Las Vegas properties for Tamares Real Estate, owner of the Las Vegas Club. “However, at this time, we will no longer be accepting any reservations for guest rooms.”

Add $5 a night to your bill: The Venetian and Palazzo up their resort fees: Thursday, April 11, 2013; By Ed Komenda; The reign of the resort fee continues. This time it’s a change at the Venetian and Palazzo, where resort fees have been upped from $20 to $25 a night. But don’t fret: there’s a way out.

Joe Downtown: Want a room at the Gold Spike? You might try booking it through Zappos: Wednesday, April 10, 2013; By Joe Schoenmann; Though Tony Hsieh doesn’t want to get into the casino business, sources say, he and a partnership of downtown investors now hold the note to the Gold Spike. A local commercial real estate developer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that means the Gold Spike’s owners, Siegel Group Nevada Inc., now make loan payments to Hsieh and his partners.

Hot times and wild life: Facebook users offer alternatives to Nevada's new tourism slogan: Wednesday, April 10, 2013; By Ric Anderson; Given a chance to suggest an alternative to the state of Nevada’s new tourism slogan, social media users responded as if a $9 million payday were on the line. That’s how much the state spent to develop and advertise its slogan — “A World Within. A State Apart.” — which was unveiled Tuesday.

Southern Nevada tourism takes a dip in February: Wednesday, April 10, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; A shorter month and the rotation of some convention and trade shows out of February resulted in a 1.3 percent dip in visitor volume that month, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported today.

A six-word slogan, and the marketing campaign to advertise it, cost Nevada $9 million: Tuesday, April 9, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Virginia “is for lovers.” Kentucky has “unbridled spirit.” And now, Nevada is “A World Within. A State Apart.” State tourism leaders today unveiled the state's new slogan, which cost close to $9 million and has been almost two years in the making. Officials also debuted the first television commercial to use the branding. The slogan conveys the uniqueness of the state, residents’ independent spirit and the variety of experiences and opportunities Nevada provides, Gov. Brian Sandoval said. The state plans to use the mark on documents from all of its departments.

Pop quiz: Test your knowledge of state tourism slogans: Tuesday, April 9, 2013; By Ric Anderson; How recognizable and memorable are state travel and tourism slogans? Here’s a test.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority seeks $270.3 million budget: Tuesday, April 9, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority next month will consider a $327.1 million budget package for the 2013-14 fiscal year, including a $270.3 million operating budget.

Now our air show needs saving: Monday, April 8, 2013; Reno Air Races got $600,000 from government for insurance; should Nellis get help?; Less than a year ago, the Nevada Tourism Commission rescued the Reno Air Races from certain cancellation after the show’s insurance premium spiked. The state delivered $600,000 to preserve one of the last air races in the world.

Vegas resorts use airlines’ strategy in adopting fees, but will it fly with consumers?: Monday, April 1, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; The world is filled with consumers who favor one product over another. There are Apples and PCs. Cokes and Pepsis. And, in the tourism world, there are bundlers and unbundlers.

Local company makes sports fantasies a reality: Sunday, March 31, 2013; Business:; By Eli Segall; Sports super fans often shell out big money to support their favorite teams. They buy season tickets for home games, fly to away games and stock up on piles of merchandise. Sometimes, they get team tattoos. Their loyalty — and spending — knows no boundaries. A Las Vegas startup is trying to capitalize on those obsessions by putting hardcore fans even closer to the action.