State pushing tourism next week

Nevada tourism representatives will fan out over the West next week looking to bring more visitors to a state they say is a fun and convenient destination.

Six Nevada Commission on Tourism employees and six local tourism officials will talk to people from the tourism industry in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle as part of National Travel and Tourism Week.

This is the second trip the commission has taken since December to fight a slump in tourism in the state.

Nevada is an easy but unique place to visit for people from major western markets, said Chris Chrystal, a commission representative.

The state has the casinos, shopping and outdoor recreation that have always attracted visitors and made it so reliant on tourism, she said.

"Nevada is open 24 hours," she said. "Nevada has pizzazz."

Many businesses are also offering lodging and shopping deals commission representatives will promote, she said.

The last year has been "rough" for tourism, she said.

"This is the time more than ever we need to bring people in here to spend their money," she said.

The commission will spend about $6,000 on the trip. Local tourism representatives will pay for themselves.

Janet Jones, group sales manager for the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, will help promote Nevada in the San Francisco Bay area next week.

People might want to visit a place closer to home, she said, so this is a good time to promote summer events and activities in Reno, Tahoe, Carson City and Carson Valley.

"It's basically to let them know what we're doing, what's new here," she said.

Nevada Indian Commission Executive Director Sherry Rupert of Carson City will also go on the trip. She will visit with six tribes to talk about ways to promote American Indian tourism in Nevada.

Chrystal said the tourism commission budget, based on hotel room taxes, shows how needed a tourist promotion is. The budget for the next fiscal year is about $11 million, half of what it normally is, she said.