Tourism

Las Vegas sets record with 39.7 million visitors in 2012: Friday, February 8, 2013; Tourism:; By Richard N. Velotta; Las Vegas closed the book on 2012 visitor volume with moderate growth in occupancy and average daily room rates, on top of a record 39.7 million people who came to the city for vacations and conventions.

Las Vegas deemed sexiest city in America, just in time for a Valentine's Day tourism bump: Friday, February 8, 2013; Holidays:; By Richard N. Velotta; Las Vegas, for the sixth year in a row, will be the most popular Valentine's Day destination in America. The city also scored an added bonus this year. It was named the nation's sexiest city by customers of the travel website Orbitz.com.

LVH joins forces with Red Lion to boost hotel occupancy: Monday, February 4, 2013; By Ron Sylvester; The LVH hopes that teaming with a hotel chain will help fill its rooms. The Las Vegas Hotel, which has struggled since losing its Hilton name in 2011, signed a licensing agreement this week with Red Lion Hotels Corp. It will give the LVH access to the Red Lion reservations database and to the chain's customer loyalty program reaching 48 hotels in nine states and Canada.

Southwest adding nonstop service between Las Vegas and Flint, Mich.: Monday, February 4, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Southwest Airlines’ conversion of its AirTran subsidiary to the Southwest brand will lead to a new nonstop route for Las Vegas.

Las Vegas voted one of the world's most stunning airport arrival cities: Monday, February 4, 2013; tourism:; By Richard N. Velotta; What happens when a bunch of aviation geeks get together to talk about the best airport approaches in the world? A lively discussion about which destinations are the most fun to fly into — and likely an argument or two about why some are better than others. McCarran International Airport recently landed on a list of the top 10 most stunning airport approaches in the world, compiled by British private jet charter booking service PrivateFly.com.

Big developments in tourism: Monday, February 4, 2013; Plans for convention center redo, Cosmopolitan auditorum and water center bode well; By Richard N. Velotta; January ended with a flourish of big announcements, all of which bode well for Southern Nevada’s tourism industry.

Taxi company shuts down talks, strike possible: Thursday, January 31, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Representatives of the Yellow-Checker-Star taxi group won’t return to contract negotiations, saying a contract rejected by 70 percent of the drivers’ union membership on Monday is their best and final offer.

McCarran passenger counts flat in December but up in 2012: Tuesday, January 29, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; Passenger counts at McCarran International Airport were flat in December, but the city’s airport – the seventh busiest in the country – closed 2012 with a 0.4 percent increase over the previous year with 41.7 million passengers.

Taxicab Authority approves extra cabs for Super Bowl weekend: Tuesday, January 29, 2013; By Richard N. Velotta; The Nevada Taxicab Authority had in its monthly meeting in Las Vegas today.

Fun with science and history: Monday, January 28, 2013; Museum exhibits, popular with locals, keep children as well as adults entertained; By Bruce Spotleson; Museums and tourists typically go hand in hand, but here in Las Vegas, the Natural History Museum is busier with locals than out-of-town visitors.

Make UNLV Now happen: Monday, January 28, 2013; If the goal is to bring tourists to Southern Nevada, this stadium fits the bill; By Richard N. Velotta; The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s mission is to put heads in beds. It therefore should become an industry advocate for the proposed $800 million, 60,000-seat UNLV Now stadium — and direct room-tax money toward it.

New events center coming to Las Vegas Strip: Thursday, January 24, 2013; By Hannah Dreier, Associated Press; The Las Vegas Strip, home to themed casinos that mimic the canals of Venice and the skyscrapers of Manhattan, is getting a new events center modeled on an Eastern European glass factory. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is developing a 3,000-capacity theater that has sat empty since the hotel-casino opened in 2010. The auditorium is expected to open by the end of the year and cater to conventioneers, boxing fans and concertgoers.

Speakers at Preview Las Vegas outline a rosy future for the city: Thursday, January 24, 2013; By Eli Segall, Richard N. Velotta; Las Vegas' business power brokers are gathered this morning for Preview Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce’s premier networking event, at UNLV. An estimated 2,000 people are in attendance — the largest number since 2008.

LVCVA ad aimed at LGBT travelers getting national attention: Thursday, January 24, 2013; Marketing:; By Richard N. Velotta; A Las Vegas ad campaign unveiled in June got a second wind this week after a national publication called attention to the city’s bid to attract gay and lesbian travelers, a lucrative market.

Winner named in contest to name Wet ‘n’ Wild wave pool: Monday, January 21, 2013; By Tovin Lapan; Wet ‘n’ Wild, the Las Vegas water park due to open in May, has announced the winner of its wave pool naming contest.