Hailed as the entertainment capital of the world and also gaining a similar sobriquet for its meetings and events attractiveness, Las Vegas is keen to grow its destination buzz in the Indian market to garner a larger share of Indian arrivals across segments. With 44,000 Indian arrivals overall, India currently ranks as Las Vegas’ 14th international source market.
Highlighting some of the key tourism facts and their impact in and exclusive chat on the sidelines of SATTE 2018, Kala Peterson, Communications Manager, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), pointed that Las Vegas welcomed 42.2 million visitors in 2017, 19 per cent of which were international visitors that accounted for 31 per cent of direct visitors spending in Las Vegas. The destination registered record convention attendance in 2017 as it hosted more than 6.6 million attendees. Besides, she also highlighted that the city’s greatest attractiveness lies in the sheer range of entertainment and recreation activities that it offers to every traveller.
“Vegas has so much more than gaming and that’s what we pride ourselves in. It has something for every type of Indian traveller, lots of adventure, has a dynamic culinary scene, it’s celebrity chefs, wedding capital of the world, international superstars, live production every single night of the week, nightlife, day life, it has lot of outdoor recreation and sightseeing attractions. Besides, Las Vegas can serve as your hub when you want to go to all these national parks and state parks,” Peterson said. .
Furthermore, she added, “We view India as an emerging market for Las Vegas. In 2016, we welcomed 44,000 Indian visitors overall with average stay of 3.8 nights per person. And we are keen to grow this number overall and across segments, be it business and leisure” She also pointed that the Indian arrival number is hard to track because of the absence of direct air connectivity and many come as domestic travellers or drive-in from cities like L.A., hinting that the actual Indian visitor number to Las Vegas may be more.
On the event front, Peterson says that Las Vegas, home to some of the largest meetings and exhibition venues in the world, has been the number one trade show destination in North America for the last 23 years. Today, not only the city is home to some of the largest Convention Centres in the US, but the event industry is a vital segment of Las Vegas’ economy. Therefore, the city is doing what it takes to remain competitive in this market segment.
“LVCVA is a destination marketing organisation but it also owns and operates the Las Vegas Convention Centre district, one of the biggest Convention venues in the US. The centre is undergoing a phased expansion and right now we are in Phase II where we have started the expansion and renovation of Las Vegas Convention Centre. It will be completed by the end of 2020 in time for CES 2021. As our shows grow we need to grow our convention space. We need to update to stay competitive.” Upon completion of the expansion, the centre is estimated to bring an annual incremental economic impact of US $ 810 million while attracting more than 600,000 additional visitors each year.
“In addition to our own convention centre, we also have three of the largest convention centres in the United States. Hence, it is not just the Las Vegas Convention Centre alone; we have the Sands Expo, Mandalay Bay, among others. We also have all of these other resort partners that are adding additional meeting space. Besides, we have 150,000 hotel rooms that makes it attractive because there is price point for every kind of traveller.”
Peterson emphasised that easy accessibility of all the amenities is what makes Vegas great for travellers. “You can do your business by day on the show floor, make reservation that evening, attend a show in night. It’s all very accessible. Our airport is very close to the resort part and to the downtown. It makes it very convenient for business or leisure travellers to pack a lot of different activities into their day.
