Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and McCarran International Airport will play host to Routes Americas, the 10th Route Development Forum for the entire Americas region, when the event takes place in Las Vegas in 2017. The event brings together a range of airlines, airports and tourism authorities, including some of the largest carriers from North, Central, Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2013, Las Vegas was the first US city to host World Routes, which saw a record number of delegates in attendance. Following the event, new routes were secured with, amongst others, Edelweiss Air serving Zurich, Alaska Airlines serving Anchorage and Salt Lake City, Allegiant Air serving Texas and Southwest Airlines serving Des Moines and Flint.
“Tourism is the driving force of the Las Vegas economy and ample and efficient air service is crucial to maintain and grow our tourism base,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “Hosting industry-leading events such as World Routes and Routes Americas is an important tool in showing airline executives and route planners that Las Vegas is a destination that attracts visitors and fills all sections of their planes. We are excited to welcome the Routes organization back to Las Vegas in 2017.”
Named as North America’s leading meeting and convention destination for 21 consecutive years, Las Vegas hosts more of the leading conventions than any other destination in the United States. Hosting over 22,000 conventions, events and conferences a year and welcoming nearly 5.2 million convention attendees in 2014, Las Vegas is the ideal destination for Routes Americas 2017.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority works to attract visitors to the city by promoting Las Vegas as the world’s most desirable destination for leisure and business travel. Tourism is the city’s number one industry and more than half of those visitors arrive in Las Vegas by air. With more than 900 inbound and outbound flights per day and nonstop services from 135 US and international cities, McCarran International Airport acts as an important gateway for nearly half of Southern Nevada’s approximately 41 million annual visitors.
“McCarran International Airport greatly anticipates the arrival of Routes Americas in 2017. This event provides us with a wonderful opportunity to showcase Las Vegas before key airline decision makers, and it will allow attendees to see first-hand Clark County’s exceptional airport, including its state-of-the-art technology and expanded U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities,” said Clark County Director of Aviation Rosemary A. Vassiliadis.
