The Las Vegas tourism industry continues to show signs of a steady recovery, with officials forecasting 39 million visitors to the destination in 2011, only the second time in history they will reach that mark. Through the third quarter of 2011, Las Vegas has experienced 19 consecutive months of growth in visitor volume and the average daily room rate. Occupancy at Las Vegas properties has increased more than 4 points to 85.2 percent, more than 20 points ahead of the national average. “After a year and a half of steady growth, we can say with confidence the tourism industry in Las Vegas is in recovery,” said Tom Collins, Clark County Commissioner and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “We expect the growth we have seen to continue in 2012.” Today, the tourism industry directly employs 263,300 residents of Southern Nevada. Since November of 2009, during a time when leading economic indicators were largely bearish on the Las Vegas economy, 15,800 jobs have been generated by the industry, boosting sector employment by 6.4 percent. “The improvements seen in the Las Vegas tourism industry as a whole are consistent with what we are experiencing at MGM Resorts,” said Charles Bowling, president and COO of MGM Resorts’ Mandalay Bay and an LVCVA board member. “We have a positive outlook on the continued growth of the market in Las Vegas.” Due to the strength of the tourism economy, the LVCVA developed a three-year business plan that outlines aggressive and cutting-edge strategies to further expand the Las Vegas tourism market. Introduced November 17, the plan promotes growth by targeting key market segments, specifically international and business travel. The Destination Innovation and Leadership Plan includes a commitment to double sales, public relations, and marketing efforts overseas - targeting Brazil and China for their strong emerging economies and the growing spending power of their middle classes. International travelers, who typically stay longer and spend more than domestic travelers, represent the largest potential growth market for Las Vegas. International travelers make up 18 percent of overall visitation in Las Vegas. The goal is to increase the market share to 30 percent over the next decade. “The economic conditions over the past three years required a flexible marketing strategy that could be adjusted as frequently as week-to-week; however, with the recovery having taken hold, we can now return to long-term strategy development,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, LVCVA president/CEO. “The overall strength of the Las Vegas ourism industry provides the opportunity to develop new markets and invest in our facilities.” The LVCVA has committed $5 million in aesthetic and functional enhancements to the Las Vegas Convention Center. These immediate, short-term renovations will complement the development of the Las Vegas Convention Center District improvement plan for the entire campus and area surrounding and leading to the convention center. The plan will maintain the competitive position of Las Vegas as the No. 1 trade show destination in North America and be introduced in the first quarter of 2012. Other elements of the three-year strategy include:

  Launching comprehensive travel research in the major international markets of
  Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and the emerging market of Brazil
  Increasing airline lift by hosting prominent industry events such as Interline 2012 and Routes 2013
  Launching consumer advertising campaigns in additional international markets
  Leveraging tourism industry leadership positions to influence travel policy

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Las Vegas.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

LasVegas.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.