Sporting events, such as youth soccer and adult softball tournaments, and entertainment events, such as Nevada Day, Carson City Rendezvous and the Silver Dollar Car Classic, are the big tourism draws for Carson City.
A visitor profile study commissioned by the Carson City Convention and Visitor's Bureau found that attending a sporting event or show was cited as the most popular thing to do while visiting Carson City during the past four years.
Results of the survey were released last week.
The 2007-2008 study, conducted by InfoSearch International of Reno, found 45 percent of visitors who came to the state's capital decided to attend a sporting event or tournament, or see a special event or show.
Of the 437 people who responded to the InfoSearch Study 31 percent of those contacted one-quarter traveled to Carson City specifically for sporting or special events and shows.
Gambling was the second activity in which most visitors participated.
Thirty-four percent of the people who traveled to Carson City tried their luck on gaming tables or at machines. Although Carson City promotes several quality golf courses, only 1 percent of visitors decided to hit the links while in the area.
Carson City's historical significance also drew new and occasional visitors to the area.
Just over half the visitors surveyed were from California, while 25 percent came from other parts of Nevada.
Forty-six percent of the visitors were in the 46 to 64 age group, and 40 percent of visitors reported family income of $100,000 or more.
Carson City's historical significance also drew new and occasional visitors to the area.
Two-thirds of visitors to Carson City felt the community had improved over the past five years, the study found.
"That is always good to hear," said Candy Duncan, executive director for the convention and visitors bureau. "We have a couple of really nice hotels we didn't have before, so our room quality definitely has improved."
