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RALENKOTTER PICKED TO LEAD U.S. TRAVEL AND TOURISM BOARD

LAS VEGAS - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President/CEO Rossi Ralenkotter has been chosen to lead the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

"It is an honor to be selected as the chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board and I would like to thank Secretary Locke for the appointment," Ralenkotter said. "I look forward to working with the board to continue to promote the importance of the travel and tourism industry to our nation's economy."

The board provides counsel to the Secretary on government policies and programs that affect the U.S. travel and tourism industry, and provides a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to industry-related concerns. Travel and tourism is one of the nation's most significant exports, accounting for 2.7 percent of the nation's GDP and supporting more than eight million jobs.

"The health and stability of the travel and tourism industry touches all regions and impacts employment and economic strength across the country," Locke said. "I look forward to working with the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to develop policies that can help put Americans back to work in this critical sector."

Ralenkotter, who has more than 35 years experience in the travel and tourism industry, will be sworn in as the chair at the board of directors meeting in April. He joins 28 other travel industry professionals on the board.

BRITISH AIRWAYS BRINGS SERVICE TO LAS VEGAS LVCVA, McCarran Work to Gain Daily Non-Stop from Heathrow

LAS VEGAS - Officials from British Airways joined representatives of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and McCarran International Airport to announce the world-renowned airline will begin daily, non-stop service from London Heathrow Airport this fall.

"This is the culmination of a decade of work to bring British Airways and its large feeder network throughout Europe to Las Vegas. Partnering these two globally recognized brands is part of our strategy to further expand the brand of Las Vegas throughout the world," said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the LVCVA.

The new flights will be operated exclusively to and from Heathrow's Terminal 5 by a three-class Boeing 777, according to British Airways officials.

"Las Vegas will be British Airways' nineteenth city in the United States with daily flights to the United Kingdom," said Simon Talling-Smith, executive vice president Americas for British Airways. "And through our new Terminal 5, the largest and most modern airport terminal in Europe, customers will experience quick and convenient connections to and from other British Airways cities in the U.K., the European Continent, the Middle and Far East, Africa, India and Australia."

LVCVA and McCarran officials, who have been targeting service from both British Airways and Heathrow for more than a decade, are excited about the expanded reach throughout Europe that the new flight offers.

"McCarran International Airport is pleased to welcome British Airways to Las Vegas. We're confident its customers will appreciate new nonstop service between Heathrow and this exciting destination, and we welcome the additional traffic British Airways will bring to our community," said Randy Walker, Clark County director of aviation.

The flight will depart daily from Heathrow at 2:20 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 5:10 p.m. local time. The return flight departs Las Vegas nightly at 7 p.m. and arrives in London the following day at 12:50 p.m. The service will begin October 25.

CONVENTION CENTER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS LVCVA Marks Milestone With Time Capsule

LAS VEGAS - On April 12, 1959, the Las Vegas Convention Center opened its doors and welcomed a new audience to the resort destination - convention visitors.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the entity created to operate the convention center and market Las Vegas as a convention and tourism destination, will mark the anniversary April 14 at their board of directors meeting.

"Southern Nevada leaders and the state legislature recognized an opportunity to attract a new visitor segment to boost mid-week and off season visitation," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the LVCVA. "Their vision helped Las Vegas become the top meetings and convention destination it is today."

The Las Vegas Convention Center regularly hosts some of the largest and most prestigious trade shows in the world, but it has been much more to the area and its residents. In its early days, the convention center often served as a community gathering place, hosting such events as concerts, sporting events, graduation ceremonies and more. (See attached list of highlights)

Today, the Las Vegas Convention Center hosts approximately 100 trade shows that attract 1.5 million visitors and generate more than $2 billion annually for the Southern Nevada economy. Together with the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the Las Vegas Convention Center has helped make Las Vegas the No. 1 trade show destination in North America for 14 consecutive years.

The original center featured 90,000 square feet of exhibit space and 18 meeting rooms, but the marquee feature was the 20,340-square-foot rotunda on the front of the building. Today, the facility has grown to a 3.2 million-square-foot building with nearly 2 million square feet of exhibit space and more than 140 meeting rooms.

ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 148,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 10.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com or www.VisitLasVegas.com.