BOB MILLER

FORMER NEVADA GOVERNOR

PARTNER IN DUTKO WORLDWIDE

March 2009

1)  The Nevada legislature has been in session for just over a month – and has been grappling with the budget shortfall and the various proposals to maintain essential services and attempt to stay, to the extent practical during these very difficult economic times, the course in K-12 and higher education, health care, human services and public safety.  Not an easy task to be sure.

The Nevada Tourism Alliance has scheduled a legislative briefing for NTA / NRA members and their guests to be held on Monday, March 16 at 1l:00 a.m. in the north hall of the LVCVA.  Please contact NTA at 407-0734 for more information on this important program featuring Billy Vissiliadis, Ryan Erwin and Jon Ralston – three unquestionable experts in the political arena.

2)  Our resorts have been grappling with a different sort of shortfall – conventions, meetings and incentive programs that bring hundreds of thousands of people to Nevada each year.  Many of our national leaders in Congress have taken the position that corporations that accept bail-out funds should cancel regularly scheduled programs that provide educational resources or sales incentives to qualifying employees.   Las Vegas, as a national leader in the hosting of this type of meeting was singled out, without malice, as a venue that because of the plethora of activities for which it is well known appears to be ‘rewarding’ those businesses that need federal recovery (TARP) funds – a venue, in which case, that should be avoided.  Hawaii, central Florida and Puerto Rico have also been enumerated as ‘reward’ cities that should be avoided.

 Several national tourism advocacy organizations have taken a strong stand in opposition to this call to action (or inaction) by members of congress and the presidential administration.  The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board has asked for rescinding comments and is communicating with corporate clients in an attempt to restart business travel into our cities at the earliest possible time.

The Nevada Tourism Alliance is preparing a Business Travel Symposium to delve into this crucial issue and draw media attention to the thousands of people in Nevada who are negatively impacted by this cutback in corporate travel.  The Symposium, set for Tuesday, May 12 at the brand-new ‘M’ Resort in Henderson will be worth your time and attention.  Please stay on top of this and other germane tourism issues through this website and through the staff of NTA.

I look forward to seeing you again on the 16^th of March and the 12^th of May.

Best wishes,

Bob

Bob Miller