Here’s how Las Vegans benefit from the tourism industry
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas sees about 42 million tourists each year.
Applied Analysis found that the city’s tourism industry is a roughly $45 billion industry. With National Travel and Tourism Week in full swing, here’s a look at how residents in Southern Nevada benefit from the city’s thriving industry:
Employment ripple effect
According to Nevada Resorts, with 12 of the state’s 20 largest employers in the tourism industry, about 369,000 jobs in Southern Nevada are directly supported by tourism.
In turn, tourism employee spending has contributed $10.7 billion to the local economy with the highest percentage of money supporting the housing industry.
As U.S. Travel found, the travel and tourism industry creates jobs at a faster rate than any other sector.
Likewise, the wages of 92,500 workers throughout the local economy supported by tourism employee spending totals around $3.1 billion, Nevada Resorts notes.
Ever-growing city
When the tourism industry thrives, the construction industry also thrives.
According to the LVCVA, with projects ranging from the opening of the new Topgolf Las Vegas, which will be located behind the MGM, to the Thomas & Mack Center remodel and the Wynn’s Paradise Park, the industry has construction plans outlined through 2019.
Community wellness
According to Applied Anaylsis’ Corporate Philanthropy study, the gaming industry, which took in $11 billion in 2015, contributes the most charitable dollars in Nevada.
In addition to donating about $23 million to charities and philanthropies located in the Silver State, with many of the gaming organizations hosting companywide giving initiatives, employees within the gaming industry volunteered tens of thousands of hours to charity projects in 2014, Nevada Resorts notes.
Convenient and inexpensive travel
As of this month, McCarran airport has averaged more than 961 arrival and departure flights per day.
To keep up with the traffic, Las Vegas’ only international airport offers nonstop service to 150 destinations — 29 of which are markets outside the United States, a representative from McCarran said in an email.
With about 45 million passengers passing through the airport each year, airline carriers tend to offer lower rates or frequent special promotions for flights in and out of Las Vegas.
As a result, residents of Southern Nevada don’t often have to travel out of state to visit friends and family, because they come here.
On the contrary, if Las Vegans do want to take a vacation, flights are often fairly inexpensive since McCarran has so many airlines using its terminals.
Culinary and entertainment hot spot
According to U.S. Travel, travelers spent $235 billion on food alone last year, which accounted for almost a quarter of all total spending.
As a result, celebrity chefs are hoping to capitalize on the tourism sector by opening restaurants in the most-traveled destinations — Las Vegas, easily, being one of them.
From Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Chow and Guy Savoy to Joel Robuchon, Giada De Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse, the gang is all here.
With all these legendary chefs packed in one city, Las Vegans have access to cuisine that appeals to any taste and any budget.
If you want comfort food, there’s a place for that. How about a traditional southern-style fare? We have that, too. A $1,000 ice cream sundae? Yep, even that.
Likewise, as leaders in the industry work to expand their non-gaming offerings, the city’s never ending entertainment options will continue to increase.
From becoming a top destination for music superstars to attracting the latest Broadway hit, Las Vegans have access to some of the world’s most sought-after entertainment without having to travel out of the city.
Contact Caitlin Lilly at clilly@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @caitielilly_
