Tourism

Experts: Here's what Vegas needs to become a health care hub: Monday, April 29, 2013; Health care:; By Richard N. Velotta; When medical and tourism professionals from Southern Nevada got together years ago to plot a course to bring people to Las Vegas to treat their ailments, there were plenty of skeptics. Why would anybody come to a renowned adult playground for a medical procedure? Did Las Vegas really have enough quality physicians to be considered a medical tourism destination?

Las Vegas according to three governors: The fall of the mob, a land of prostitutes and potential terrorism risks: Saturday, April 27, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; More than 150 people jammed a courtroom in the Mob Museum to hear former Govs. Bob List, Richard Bryan and Bob Miller recollect about Las Vegas' history. The presentation was part of the Mob Museum’s Courtroom Conversation series. The event was punctuated by a book signing by Miller, whose “Son of a Gambling Man” went on sale earlier this month.

Author strips down city to find 'Everyday Las Vegas': Saturday, April 27, 2013; Six questions:; By Brian Nordli; Urban geography professor Rex Rowley knows what it’s like to live in Las Vegas. He was a local. It wasn’t until he attended the University of Kansas that Rowley realized just how unusual it was that residents in a city identify themselves as a "local."

Ever get the feeling the Las Vegas cab industry is long-hauling regulators?: Wednesday, April 24, 2013; J. Patrick Coolican:; By J. Patrick Coolican; Welcome to Las Vegas. Now I’m going to steal $10 from you. That’s the message we’re sending to thousands of tourists every year who get in a cab at McCarran International Airport and are taken to their hotel the long way. At least when the hotels take the tourists’ money, it’s based on a bet whose odds are well known. But the cabbies are just flat-out stealing, and our political system is so inept that it refuses or is unable to act.

Virgin America's Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas flight isn't the fastest one Sir Richard Branson will see this week: Tuesday, April 23, 2013; Q&A:; By Richard N. Velotta; Virgin America doesn’t do anything halfway when it comes to promoting new service and amenities, and Monday’s launch of three daily flights between Los Angeles and Las Vegas was no exception. Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson is no stranger to Las Vegas. He’s known worldwide as an adventurer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, and on Monday, he took six questions from the Sun.

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.

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.