LAS VEGAS CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF OVERSEAS VISITATION WITH A MARQUEE WELCOME AND A ROBUST CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

LAS VEGAS – On Monday, Nov. 8, the first transoceanic flight carrying tourists in nearly 20 months touched down in Las Vegas, the same day the United States reopened its borders to fully-vaccinated international travelers. Resorts up and down the Las Vegas Strip celebrated this moment by welcoming international visitors with a multilingual marquee message.  

“I am thrilled to welcome international visitors back to our great state and to fabulous Las Vegas. We know you’ve missed traveling just as much as we’ve missed welcoming you—and I’m thrilled that Las Vegas was at the top of your list,” said Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. “Las Vegas is constantly evolving. Whether it’s your first visit or your 50^th, you’ll always find something new and something exciting to experience. Welcome to Las Vegas and enjoy your visit.”

Las Vegas welcomed 5.7 million international visitors in 2019, resulting in $4.8 billion in direct economic impact. Prior to the pandemic, Las Vegas welcomed nonstop flights from 31 cities in 12 countries. 

“It’s a watershed moment for Las Vegas as international borders open and we welcome overseas visitors back to the destination,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “In addition to being a world-class leisure destination, our major tradeshows and conventions draw large international delegations, and we are very optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Domestic and international travelers alike have a lot to look forward to in Las Vegas in the coming months across conventions, entertainment, sports, and holidays:

• Celebrating Latin music’s best and brightest stars, the Latin GRAMMY Awards return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Nov. 18.
• Residencies from superstar recording artists debut and continue throughout the remainder of 2021, including Sting and Usher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas; Shania Twain at Zappos Theater inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas; Earth Wind & Fire at The Venetian Theatre at The Venetian Resort; Carlos Santana and David Lee Roth at House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay; Wayne Newton at Bugsy’s Cabaret at Flamingo Las Vegas; Carrie Underwood and Katy Perry at The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas; Bryan Adams at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas and Journey at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
• Several conventions with international appeal—including IMEX America (Nov. 9-11) and the DEMA Show (Nov. 16-19)—are scheduled through the remainder of 2021, leading up to the return of highly-anticipated CES (Jan. 5-8) in early 2022.
• The Greatest Arena on Earth will welcome The Mint 400 (Nov. 30-Dec. 5), Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (Dec. 2-11), Pac-12 Football Championship Game (Dec. 3), and the Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 30), as well as several Las Vegas Raiders and Vegas Golden Knights games.
• The Entertainment Capital of the World will ring in the New Year in a way only Vegas can with performances by Bruno Mars, Usher, Katy Perry, The Go-Go’s, David Lee Roth, Lizzo, Maroon 5, and Kristin Chenoweth, as well as DJ sets by Black Coffee, The Chainsmokers, Fisher, Lil Jon, Steve Aoki and Zedd.

Four carriers will resume overseas service to Las Vegas in 2021:

• Virgin Atlantic Airways nonstop from London Heathrow began Nov. 8
• British Airways nonstop from London Heathrow beginning Nov. 15
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines nonstop from Amsterdam beginning Dec. 7
• Copa Airlines nonstop from Panama City beginning Dec. 7

Regular nonstop service from Mexico resumed in July 2020. Current routes include:

• AeroMexico from Mexico City
• JetBlue from Cancún
• Viva Aerobus from Monterrey and Mexico City
• Volaris from Guadalajara and Mexico City

 Regular nonstop service from Canada resumed earlier this year. Current routes include:

• Air Canada from Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary
• Flair Airlines from Toronto
• Swoop from Edmonton
• WestJet from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver

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ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide and with operating the 4.6 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). With 150,000 hotel rooms and 14 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space in Las Vegas alone, the LVCVA’s mission centers on attracting leisure and business visitors to the area. The LVCVA also owns the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, an underground tunnel designed by The Boring Company and the Las Vegas Monorail, an elevated 3.9-mile system with seven stops throughout the resort corridor. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com, www.visitlasvegas.com or vegasmeansbusiness.com