Nevada trying to stretch its tourism dollars

The Nevada Commission on Tourism is updating its strategic plan for attracting visitors by combining cost-effective new initiatives and time-tested programs with proven track records.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, NCOT chair, said the agency will target U.S. consumer markets that have large populations with convenient driving distance or easy air access to Nevada and international markets whose travelers have a strong likelihood of visiting Nevada, such as Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline is better known as a destination in the summer. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“In the current national economic climate, many people are still traveling, but spending less and staying closer to home,” Krolicki said in a press release. “Visitor numbers are down, but Nevada is well-positioned as a centrally located, easily accessed western destination where travelers experience unique entertainment and attractions and where dollars still go a long way.”

The plan, which extends through fiscal year 2011, was presented to the commission at its regular meeting in March.

The plan is online here.

It calls for:

• Expanding the promotion of meetings and conventions, weddings and honeymoons, and Nevada’s parks and museums;

• Expanding Web content to appeal to additional niche markets, such as travelers seeking pet-friendly accommodations, and conducting media campaigns for diverse markets, including Asian Americans and Latino Americans;

• Working with Nevada’s tourism “territories” to develop sales blitz programs for increasing overnight stays in rural communities.

“Many of our tourism initiatives will emphasize the rural Nevada experience, such as branding the state as a ‘free-spirited’ destination that offers new attractions and Old West cultural heritage and satisfies visitors’ yearnings for an educational, yet relaxing vacation that delivers great value,” NCOT Director Dann Lewis said.

NCOT, which promotes tourism for the entire state, is funded by three-eighths of 1 percent of the hotel-motel room tax that visitors pay. The agency’s operating budget was cut 41.1 percent from nearly $18 million in fiscal year 2008 to $10.5 million this year.