Tourism stats show signs of slow growth

Tourism in northern Nevada was down slightly in 2003, but industry officials say they are confident that 2004 will be a better year.

"We turned a corner in 2003," said Bruce Bommarito, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

"We finally superseded 9/11 numbers.

That's very important for us."

In Washoe County, tax revenue from rooms was down 1 percent from the previous year while room rates rose by 1.2 percent, according to Jeff Beckleman, president and CEO, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

"We had a slightly down year," said Beckleman.

There are already signs of improvement, though.

Passenger traffic at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, for example, rose 7.6 percent in November.

Other numbers are recovering, too, said Beckleman.

"We have slight increases in taxable revenue and room occupancy," since the beginning of the RSCVA's new fiscal year, which started in July, he said.

"We are cautiously optimistic about 2004 and expect 1.5 to 2 percent growth on average."

Fueling some of that growth, he said, is the new kayak course on the Truckee River, which will feature an opening celebration event scheduled for May 14-16.

The area's new focus on adventure tourism - skiing, hiking, kayaking, and the like - has also helped the RSCVA book new convention business, Beckleman said.

The RSCVA earlier this month announced it had signed several deals, including Jam On It Basketball Academy to host its local and national tournaments from February 2004 to September 2005; Mastercraft Pro Wakeboard Tour, scheduled for June 5-6, that will be televised on ESPN and Fox Sports Network; and SledFest 2004, April 1-4, which includes a consumer trade show at the convention center.

Beckleman said last year the convention center was occupied 20 to 22 percent of the time.

In 2003 that occupancy rate jumped to 50 percent and he expects to approach 60 percent occupancy in the 2004 fiscal year.

The bad news is gaming.

"The gaming win will continue to drop because of the proliferation of gaming in northern California," said Beckleman.

That was painfully clear last week when the Eldorado Hotel Casino reported a 63 percent drop in its third-quarter profit, after Circus Circus reported a similar decline.