It may not be “What Happens Here Stays Here,” but new advertising from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) showcases Southern Nevada as an overall tourism mecca, and a great place for sports fans. In the ad, Vegas is referred to as the “Greatest Arena on Earth.”
Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO, said the ad will help change Las Vegas from the “Entertainment Capital of the World” to the “Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World.” The new identity is reflected by the addition of the Golden Knights hockey team, the Las Vegas Raiders football team, and their home bases, T-Mobile Arena and the Raiders and Allegiant Stadium.
“It (sports) has really jumped up in terms of what visitors that are coming to Las Vegas are thinking about … and cementing that actually as part of Las Vegas’ brand is the point of the ad,” Hill said. “We’re headed into the NFL season and that certainly matters because the stadium is up and running. It’s already a big part in the recovery of Las Vegas.”
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, passenger volume at McCarran International Airport almost reached pre-Covid levels in July, with 4.15 million travelers. That was just 8 percent off July 2019’s total of 4.5 million. The onset of NFL season could help boost those numbers even more, Hill said. “The timing is right.”
Scott DeAngelo, chief marketing officer with Allegiant Air, said the airline recently added new flights from Des Moines to Las Vegas in response to demand.
“We quickly connected the dots that these were Iowa State fans looking to get a chance to come to Las Vegas to see Allegiant Stadium and to be there at the game,” he said. “We refer to them as fan charters,” DeAngelo said. “As these are successful, who knows, there may be not only additional planes put on these routes, but also other games may pop up as well.”
