Las Vegas to cash in on emerging China segments

HAVING established a successful presence among Chinese travellers, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is now reaching out to new segments such as MICE, luxury travel and secondary cities in the country, according to Renee Ho-Phang, managing director of BrandStory, LVCVA's appointed marketing firm for China.

Ho-Phang noted that Chinese arrivals to Las Vegas had been growing at an annual rate of 30 per cent, and 80 per cent of these visitors would have the glitzy American city on their itinerary.

Ramped-up focus on the Chinese MICE segment would help to fill rooms during the weekdays, she said, adding that the city’s inventory of 151,000 rooms and more than 985,000m² of exhibition space would appeal to large-scale groups from China. LVCVA will organise fam trips for Chinese MICE sellers next year.

“Meanwhile, Chinese travellers have evolved. They now desire more luxurious and experiential holidays, and are increasingly inclined to stay at deluxe properties in Las Vegas such as Caesars Palace, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and Wynn.”

To attract China’s deep-pocketed travellers, LVCVA will first market to clubs and associations in key cities, and later to second-tier cities such as Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.

She said: “We remain interested in China’s mass market segment, (leveraging) programmes such as Chinese New Year celebrations in Las Vegas to (attract) the Chinese.”

More than 1,000 Chinese tourists visited Las Vegas during the Lunar New Year this year, and a 30 per cent increase is expected in 2013.