LVCVA: Canadian visits to Las Vegas are up

New flights, new properties and an ever-increasing number of Canadians were among the highlights shared by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), during a lunch event in Vancouver yesterday.

READ MORE:WestJet maintains non-stop Edmonton-Las Vegas service

“We have our final numbers from 2017 – Las Vegas received 42.2 million visitors last year, and Canadians made up 1.48 million of that number, close to a three percent increase from the year before,” Fernando Hurtado, LVCVA’s international market manager for the Americas told PAX.

Blair Hirtle, the LVCVA’s account manager for Western Canada, is also grateful for these numbers. “Thank you for sending your clients to us, you help make Canada our number one international market. Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and we want to keep it that way.”

Destination updates

The following updates were shared by Hurtado:

Impressive Airlift

• Air Canada and WestJet operate 112 direct flights weekly into Las Vegas, including 27 from Vancouver.
• Air Canada will inaugurate a daily flight between Edmonton and Las Vegas on Oct. 28.
• Flair Airlines will begin flying four times per week from Edmonton to Las Vegas starting Nov. 8.

Feature Properties

• The Monte Carlo Resort has been transformed into Park MGM, with just under 3,000 rooms, a 102,000 square-foot casino, three pools, five eateries, and more are still to come.
• The all-suite NoMad Hotel occupies the top four floors of Park MGM, with its own restaurant, bar and pool.

Shows in the Spotlight

• Gwen Stefani is currently appearing at the Access Theatre in Planet Hollywood until Spring.
• Lady Gaga has announced a three-year residency at the Park Theatre with over one hundred shows featuring her jazz and pop repertoire.
• Construction just began on the MSG Sphere – an 18,000-seat theatre in the round which will feature a 360-foot tall by 500-foot wide screen with 4-D immersive experiences. The theatre will be located at the Venetian and is scheduled to open Dec. 31, 2020.

Foodies Delight

• Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen restaurant is now open at Caesar’s Palace, with its signature blue and white teams in the show kitchen. The 300-seat restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
• Food Network host and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentis has opened Pronto, a casual eatery at Caesar’s Palace, featuring a wine bar with more than 40 wines by the glass.
• Eataly Las Vegas will open this December in Park MGM, which will include the eatery, as well as market aisles selling local and Italian products.

A Focus on Sports

• The Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team has begun its second season after a very successful debut.
• Canadian hockey fans certainly have played a role in the increase in visitor numbers by coming to watch their favourite teams play against the Golden Knights.
• The ground has been broken for a 65,000-seat stadium which will be home to the Oakland Raiders in August 2020. The stadium will be located at the south end of the strip across from Mandalay Bay and will cost $1.9 billion to build.