How would you sum up 2016 for business tourism in Las Vegas?
Chris Meyer - In 2016 alone, we hosted 22,000 events. We like to think that's more than any other city on the planet, or in the galaxy until proven otherwise! We host groups from ten to 186,000 guests, as we do at CES [Consumer Electronics Show], the annual electronics event, which is 'just' one of those 22,000 events I mentioned. The last CES, in January, brought together a huge French community in the innovation sector. The new President, Emmanuel Macron, made the trip in 2016, when he pledged to further develop the French delegation. The world of MICE is crucial to Las Vegas.
What proportion of visitors come from abroad, and how is it changing?
C. M. - 19% of the audience is international, compared with 16% a year earlier. As a result, more and more foreign companies, particularly from Europe, are coming to Las Vegas for incentive operations, or participants are crossing the Atlantic for trade shows. We're seeing very good results in France, Spain, Scandinavia, and of course the UK, which remains our main market in Europe... This is also linked to the non-stop flights that are developing from European airports, such as Eurowings since June, or Condor. All that's missing is a direct link to Paris, and that would be perfect! I can guarantee that the planes would be full, and in both directions.
Are there any new event or hotel infrastructures to welcome these visitors?
C. M. - The Lucky Dragon opened its doors in December in a brand new building. This is a 300-room boutique hotel aimed almost exclusively at Asian punters. There is also a resort project in the middle of the Strip, the Genting, and new meeting spaces are being built. We already have 150,000 hotel rooms. There is demand, as Las Vegas is a cutting-edge destination. This is particularly the case for autonomous vehicles, an area in which we are pioneers and leaders in North America.
What is the added value of an event in Las Vegas?
C. M. - It's a destination that makes it easy for event organisers. It's very easy to combine a meeting in the morning, then a helicopter ride over the Gand Canyon in the afternoon, for example, or surfing on an artificial wave, or skydiving, outdoors or indoors... It's very easy to multiply the activities for an incentive group, easier than anywhere else in the world. Las Vegas is also a very safe destination, with a great range of entertainment, meeting facilities and, overall, a real culture of service. We've been growing like this for many years now.
We are number one in the world
However, Las Vegas is outstripped by Paris in the ICCA rankingsand does not feature in the world's top 10...
C. M. - We are number one in the world. Nobody else hosts so many meetings. Paris doesn't have 150,000 hotel rooms, or so much meeting space. But I don't mind the name being bandied about. Paris. It's just a question of criteria... And I love Paris!
What about the political context? Is there a "Trump effect"?
C. M. - From our point of view, everything is going well. We're not suffering any impact, and the indicators are in the green, including in the air: the number of seats is up sharply on routes to Europe. Last April, we had 200 direct flights a week from 19 cities in eight countries, operated by 13 airlines. We support this travel sector because we believe in the freedom to travel worldwide. This is all the more important for a city like Las Vegas, where 68,000 people work directly in the tourism sector.
The main international markets for Las Vegas :
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