When representatives from state agency The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority went to China to promote Las Vegas last year, they brought Elvis with them.
They would go to a trade show and make the front page of that city's paper.
"We got more media coverage in China than anywhere else in the world," said agency rep Jesse Davis.
The LVCVA, which is funded by hotel room taxes and public funds, is responsible for marketing Southern Nevada nationally and internationally. It embarked upon its first formal efforts to market to China last July. The agency hired Shanghai-based partner Brand Story to get the word out about Vegas. It hopes that with the country's newly lifted travel restrictions, wealthy travelers will start to view Vegas as an attractive destination.
"We do view China as being among the emerging markets with the most potential business and leisure travel," said Davis.
Tourists and business travelers from China and Hong Kong numbered about 105,000 in 2007, about 6.1% of all international visitors to Las Vegas, according to the LVCVA. The figure puts China at seventh place, tied with France. The figure is a 21% increase over the previous year.
By contrast, the LVCVA has had a decade-long presence in the Asian economic capitals Tokyo and Seoul, though its marketing efforts have historically focused on bringing convention business to the city.
Las Vegas hosted over 22,000 conventions and meetings attended by more than 5.9 million delegates in 2008.
So far, the agency has focused on educating the Chinese population about what Las Vegas has to offer. By law, it's not allowed to promote gambling anyway.
"We want them to understand the depth and quality of offerings that are here," said Davis. "We offer far more of a visitor experience in terms of shopping, dining and entertainment."
Brand Story will help create relationships with tour operators.
On the U.S. side, the agency is working to get direct flights between Beijing and Shanghai to Las Vegas. But with the absence of historical data, it can be a hard sell for airlines.
They would go to a trade show and make the front page of that city's paper.
"We got more media coverage in China than anywhere else in the world," said agency rep Jesse Davis.
The LVCVA, which is funded by hotel room taxes and public funds, is responsible for marketing Southern Nevada nationally and internationally. It embarked upon its first formal efforts to market to China last July. The agency hired Shanghai-based partner Brand Story to get the word out about Vegas. It hopes that with the country's newly lifted travel restrictions, wealthy travelers will start to view Vegas as an attractive destination.
"We do view China as being among the emerging markets with the most potential business and leisure travel," said Davis.
Tourists and business travelers from China and Hong Kong numbered about 105,000 in 2007, about 6.1% of all international visitors to Las Vegas, according to the LVCVA. The figure puts China at seventh place, tied with France. The figure is a 21% increase over the previous year.
By contrast, the LVCVA has had a decade-long presence in the Asian economic capitals Tokyo and Seoul, though its marketing efforts have historically focused on bringing convention business to the city.
Las Vegas hosted over 22,000 conventions and meetings attended by more than 5.9 million delegates in 2008.
So far, the agency has focused on educating the Chinese population about what Las Vegas has to offer. By law, it's not allowed to promote gambling anyway.
"We want them to understand the depth and quality of offerings that are here," said Davis. "We offer far more of a visitor experience in terms of shopping, dining and entertainment."
Brand Story will help create relationships with tour operators.
On the U.S. side, the agency is working to get direct flights between Beijing and Shanghai to Las Vegas. But with the absence of historical data, it can be a hard sell for airlines.
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