Las Vegas Sands Plans Nongaming Venture Near Macau
CHINA AND LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Adding to its growing presence in the expanding
Chinese tourism market, Las Vegas Sands Corp. signed an agreement with the city of
Zhuhai to master plan a 1,300-acre parcel with non-gaming attractions, such as resort
villas, golf courses and a marina.
"The strategic combination of non-casino tourism amenities
located on Hengqin Island with the entertainment attractions of the Cotai Strip
could create a tourism and convention destination unrivaled anywhere in the world."
Event attendance rose 4.4% in first half, says Conferon Global index
Event attendance grew 4.4 percent in the first six months of 2005
according to the Conferon Global Services Tradeshow and Convention
Attendance Index. The barometer represents more than 100 events that
collectively attracted in excess of 1.2 million attendees.
Meetings Industry Is 29TH Largest Contributor To The Gross National
Product (USA)
The meetings, conventions, exhibitions, and incentive travel industry is a
365-day-a-year business that operates in communities, large and small, across
the country. Taken as a whole, it generated $122.31 billion in total direct spending
in 2004, making it the 29th largest contributor to the gross national product. That
is more than the "pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing" industry and only
slightly less than the "nursing and residential care facilities" industry.
The industry’s spending and tax revenue ripple through every sector of the local
economy, from restaurants and transportation to retail stores and other services,
while supporting 1.7 million jobs in the United States. It generates more than 36%
of the hotel industry’s estimated $109.3 billion in operating revenue, and its attendees
account for nearly 17% of the air transportation industry’s operating income.
