WTTC to Hold 2011 Travel & Tourism Summit in Las Vegas

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) named the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the host of next year’s Global Travel & Tourism Summit. “Our 10th Global Summit takes place next month in Beijing,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president and CEO of WTTC, “and we fully intend to make the most of the more than 12 months between now and the Las Vegas event, scheduled for May 15 to 19, 2011, to promote the importance of travel and tourism, and also its wider impact on other sectors, in the United States, the world’s leading travel and tourism economy.”

“The travel and tourism industry generates $30 billion for Southern Nevada and employs 235,000 people,” said LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter. “The industry is the economic driver for the state of Nevada.”

The Las Vegas Summit will be held at Aria Resort & Casino, the centerpiece of CityCenter, the urban resort destination which opened on the Las Vegas Strip in December 2009. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Infinity World Development Corp., a subsidiary of Dubai World.

“Las Vegas is one of the best-known tourism destinations in the U.S.A., and globally,” said Roger J. Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “According to WTTC’s figures, travel and tourism in the U.S.A. is expected to account for 9.2 percent of GDP ($1.37 trillion) in 2010, employing some 13.7 million people in the wider travel and tourism economy, 9.9 percent of total employment.”