Most everyone around the world knows Nevada. Whether it is the brilliant sparkle of the Las Vegas Strip, the blue waters of Lake Tahoe or the endless beauty of our wide-open spaces, Nevada has a remarkable global reputation.
But where will our next generation find new visitors? How will the growth of our super-charged tourism economy be fueled in the future?
I can answer those two questions with two other questions. Which country has the world’s fastest growing economy? Which country has the world’s largest population? The answer in both cases is the People’s Republic of China. China has more than 1.4 billion people and a free-market economy that is accelerating at a dynamic pace. In fact, China has the fastest growing economy on earth. Nevada has to be there.
Let’s take a look at some numbers:
1.5 billion: China’s population
300 million: The number of Chinese with the means to travel internationally
50 million: The number of millionaires in China
$5,200: The average amount spent by Chinese tourists per person per trip
250,000: The number of Chinese tourists who visited the United States last year.
90+%: The number of those tourists making Nevada part of their visit
Last summer, I led a delegation from Nevada to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The giant Asian nation has so much to offer Nevada and the world. Among our delegation were representatives of Nevada’s vast hospitality industry on our second Asian Tourism Building mission.
In our next mission, this June, we will visit Shanghai (population 20 million) and Beijing (population 14 million), two of China’s largest cities.
Nevada’s success in China is already on the record. Last year we were there for the historic opening of our first tourism office in Beijing. Once again, Nevada leads the global competition for lucrative tourism business. This is a little piece of history that will play an immense part in Nevada’s economic future. Nevada is the only state with a government-sanctioned tourism office in China. In fact, only 13 countries have similar offices there. The Nevada Tourism Office in China affords our state the opportunity to advertise to outbound Chinese tourists. Some states have been working to get a similar license in China for more than seven years, yet Nevada is the only one to receive this lucrative honor.
This is no small feat in a highly competitive arena. Tourism is one of the top three economic drivers in all 50 states. In 29 states, tourism is the first, second or third largest employer. Marketing of Nevada to the PRC will put us far ahead of the pack in the competition for tourists.
With the colossal population of the PRC, it may well be the largest untapped reservoir of potential visitors to Nevada in the world. The immediate focus of Nevada’s tourism office in Beijing will be to open direct air service between the PRC and Nevada, as well as making it easier for Chinese tourists to obtain U.S. visas.
China and the United States have signed an agreement to dramatically increase the number of commercial and cargo flights between the two countries from around 50 per week to nearly 250 per week. As chair of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, I am working hard on my vision to promote Nevada as the “Western Gateway to the United States.” My goal is to have thousands and then millions of Chinese tourists bypassing the congestion of the airports in Los Angeles or San Francisco and traveling directly to Las Vegas and Reno.
As new resorts in Nevada open their doors and existing resorts expand, I believe China can be viewed as a new frontier in the search for tourists to occupy Nevada’s hotel rooms and experience our hospitality. Further, I believe Reno/Tahoe International Airport can become a hub for air cargo between China and the United States.
Opportunities for Nevada abound in Asia. Our pioneer spirit shines as Nevada works to bring faraway countries and cultures closer.