Las Vegas has increased its marketing budget by 10% to about $90m for 2013, a large chunk of which will be spent in the UK, its largest overseas market.
Arrivals to Las Vegas were up 2% year on year, but visitor spend has fallen about 20% since 2007/8, said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The city is keen to increase numbers from the UK as visitors from long-haul markets stay longer and spend more. Following the launch of new flights from Manchester by Virgin Atlantic last year and an extra flight from British Airways, airlines offer a total of 72,000 seats a week from the UK to Las Vegas.
Ralenkotter said visitor numbers from the UK were expected to be up 8% this year.
Las Vegas will become the first city to host the Routes convention for international airlines next year, an event that typically leads to a 10% increase in flights for the host city, and it will also host the US travel trade convention, Pow-Wow.
