LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas has been picked as next year's site for an international tourism summit expected to attract government and industry leaders from around the world.
The London-based World Travel & Tourism Council announced Tuesday that the American destination will host the 2011 Global Travel & Tourism Summit.
The announcement comes the same day the primary agency in charge of promoting Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, voted to spend $1.5 million to host the May 15-19 meeting. Officials say the summit will be held at the Aria Resort & Casino, the centerpiece of the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex that MGM Mirage opened on the Las Vegas Strip in December.
This year's summit is being held next month in Beijing.
World Travel & Tourism Council CEO Jean-Claude Baumgarten said the group selected Las Vegas in part because it's a symbol of tourism in the United States.
"We cannot choose a better place than Las Vegas," Baumgarten said. "The whole economy, all of what we are seeing, all the impacts of travel and tourism on the economy, on jobs, on the future and investment (make Las Vegas) a better choice."
Baumgarten said Las Vegas made a winning bid to host the summit, which was last held in the United States in Washington, D.C., in 2006.
Tourism and gambling are primary industries to Sin City, where some 244,000 people are employed in the leisure and hospitality industry — more than 30 percent of Las Vegas' total work force, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said travel and tourism generates $30 billion annually for southern Nevada.
The World Travel & Tourism Council, a forum for travel industry leaders worldwide, estimates that about 235 million people worldwide are employed in travel and tourism jobs, with the industries generating more than 9 percent of the world's gross domestic product.
Baumgarten said the forum would bring together "substantive decision-makers" to discuss major tourism issues and promote the importance of travel.
He said the summit was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, to help spur international travel again.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates that about 1,000 people will take part in the summit, including top government leaders and business leaders from several countries.
Oraginal Post: Las Vegas picked for 2011 global travel summit
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Volcanic ash gridlocks European airspace
Tens of thousands of airline passengers across Northern Europe face travel chaos today after a mushroom cloud of volcanic debris from Iceland heads toward the continent.
The UK has been particularly badly disrupted as the huge ash cloud moves across a major flight path, causing gridlock for the thousand of families returning from their Easter holidays.
The ash cloud has been created by Eyjafjallajokull volcano, near Reykjavik, which erupted on Tuesday following several weeks of heightened activity.
UK airspace north of London has been closed and all flights to and from Scotland cancelled due to server visibility problems.
British Airways has cancelled all domestic flights today, and is offering its passengers alternative travel dates or refunds. Ryanair’s schedules have also been severely disrupted.
Heathrow and Gatwick airports have grounded more than 250 flights, whilst Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Belfast have been closed their runways.
All airports are urging travellers to check with their relevant airlines to see whether flights have been affected.
“Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the United Kingdom from Iceland,” a spokeswoman for Stansted Airport said.
“These measures currently affect Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports which are closed but may also affect other parts of the UK later today,” she said.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has issued a forecast that the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland will track over Europe tonight.
The ash cloud is expected to spread into continental Europe overnight, and could take several days to clear.
Extreme caution in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption is paramount. Not only does the ash severely hamper visibility, it can also cause engines to malfunction. In 1982 a BA 747 lost power on all four engines after flying through a volcanic ash cloud.
Real time updates of how flights are being affected at www.radarvirtuel.com
The UK has been particularly badly disrupted as the huge ash cloud moves across a major flight path, causing gridlock for the thousand of families returning from their Easter holidays.
The ash cloud has been created by Eyjafjallajokull volcano, near Reykjavik, which erupted on Tuesday following several weeks of heightened activity.
UK airspace north of London has been closed and all flights to and from Scotland cancelled due to server visibility problems.
British Airways has cancelled all domestic flights today, and is offering its passengers alternative travel dates or refunds. Ryanair’s schedules have also been severely disrupted.
Heathrow and Gatwick airports have grounded more than 250 flights, whilst Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Belfast have been closed their runways.
All airports are urging travellers to check with their relevant airlines to see whether flights have been affected.
“Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the United Kingdom from Iceland,” a spokeswoman for Stansted Airport said.
“These measures currently affect Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports which are closed but may also affect other parts of the UK later today,” she said.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has issued a forecast that the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland will track over Europe tonight.
The ash cloud is expected to spread into continental Europe overnight, and could take several days to clear.
Extreme caution in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption is paramount. Not only does the ash severely hamper visibility, it can also cause engines to malfunction. In 1982 a BA 747 lost power on all four engines after flying through a volcanic ash cloud.
Real time updates of how flights are being affected at www.radarvirtuel.com
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