Sarah Peters - Travel Nevada

Welcome to the 82nd session of the Nevada Legislature!

We are the Division of Tourism (Travel Nevada), and we operate within the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs to help achieve the priority of a vibrant and sustainable economy. In addition to managing the state’s tourism efforts, Travel Nevada provides communities and businesses with development resources, training, and grant assistance that help bolster local economic bases and diversify regional economies.

With a presence statewide, Travel Nevada is focused on creating a fulfilling quality of life for all Nevadans. As our research shows, travelers who visit Nevada leave with a deeper understanding of our western heritage, knowledge of the state’s abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, and a renewed appreciation for wide open landscapes. And while those travelers leave with a promise to return, the state benefits with increased tax generation, job creation and retention, infrastructure investment, and more opportunity for residents.

Brenda Scolari

Director, Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs

Print Statewide Information

Total Washoe County Impacts

$4.6B

Spending

39,016

Employment

$1.6B

Income

Direct Washoe County Impacts

$2.8B

Spending

24,309

Employment

$1.0B

Income

Partner Testimonials

"Tourism enhances the quality of life for Reno Tahoe residents, providing jobs, opportunities for new businesses and attractions, and generating important tax dollars for general improvements and infrastructure. Destination management practices, powered by tourism, build stronger communities through public and private partnerships that benefit visitors and residents."

Charles Harris

President/CEO, Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA)

Reno Tahoe Territory

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"Tourism accounts for an estimated 62% of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s economic output, up from about 40% in 2010. With Nevada's abundant outdoor recreation opportunities--more in demand than ever--combined with our gaming and entertainment, the stunning and diverse geography, and rich history and culture, our State is poised to dominate [...]"

Carol Chaplin

President/CEO, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority & Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority

Reno Tahoe Territory

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"Investments made in the Nevada travel and tourism industry greatly improve the quality of life for Carson City residents. At Visit Carson City, we proudly position our community as a desirable destination for leisure and group travelers. By showcasing our local businesses and area attractions to travelers, visitors invested their dollars ($210M in 2021) in our community by engaging in activities, eating at local restaurants and staying overnight in area accommodations. In 2021, the visitors we brought into Carson City helped employ 3,600 residents at a variety of businesses and in support of numerous industries. In that same year, visitors helped generate $32.8M in total state and local taxes – enough tax revenue to cover the starting salaries of 583 teachers in the Silver State."

David Peterson

Executive Director, Visit Carson City

Reno Tahoe Territory

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"As a 37-year resident of NV, all spent in travel industry leadership, I’d respectfully offer a few thoughts. 32% of the workforce in Douglas County is employed by tourism/hospitality. Our county has two destination marketing organizations (Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and ours, Carson Valley Visitors Authority). Well over 300 diverse small businesses rely on and support tourism as listed in our travel resources. These communities are heavily vested into the future of tourism, most notably with the new Tahoe Events Center, but well beyond that important step."

Jan Vandermade

Executive Director, Carson Valley Visitors Authority

Reno Tahoe Territory

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"Tourism is the key that unlocks the success of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. During FY2023, approximately 73 percent of the museum’s visitors came from outside Nevada. In the past summer, The Great Western Steam Up brought over 8000 visitors to the museum. This was Carson City’s biggest ticketed event in history. Tourists came from throughout the United States, as well as from every continent, to visit the museum. The collection is the finest in the world, and the museum is well-known for its preservation and interpretation efforts."

Daniel P. Thielen

Museum Director, Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City

Reno Tahoe Territory

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"Nevada is rich with so many stories and beautiful locations to share with visitors from near and far. Tourism should help showcase a community or location. It should be a grassroots effort that starts within a community where the residents are proud of their cultures, history, beautiful locations, available activities, and events. Visitors are always seeking new and unique experiences. Working together the community can share their unique stories which in turn will help increase the appreciation and stewardship of the area. Enhancing tourism does need to be very thoughtfully planned to help conserve both the authenticity of the place and the natural environment and it is also a way to enhance the quality of life for residents while enhancing economic diversity."

Barbara Keleher

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada Outdoor Recreation Partner

Cowboy Country Territory

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"There are nine National Wildlife Refuges in Nevada that are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration and coordination with numerous state and local partners: Sheldon, Anaho Island, Fallon, Stillwater, Ruby Lake, Ash Meadows, Desert, Moapa Valley, and Pahranagat. National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters serve a purpose distinct from that of other U.S. public lands: Wildlife conservation drives everything on national wildlife refuges, from the purposes for which each refuge was established to the recreational activities offered, to the resource management tools used. The national wildlife refuges in Nevada are special places for wildlife and people. They provide important habitats for hundreds of plant and animal species, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and provide recreation opportunities that include hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, and education, as well as associated activities such as hiking, backpacking, boating, and camping. All these recreational activities support the outdoor recreation-based tourism economy in Nevada, especially in the small rural communities near the refuges. In the fiscal year 2020, recreational spending by 61 million visitors to national wildlife refuges helped generate about $3 billion in economic activity and support 41,000 jobs."

Kevin DesRoberts

US Fish and Wildlife Service—Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Cowboy Country Territory

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Print Statewide Information

Visitor Profile

Visitors to the Reno-Tahoe Territory spend about $561 per overnight visitor, rate their trip to Nevada highly (4.2 on a 5-point scale in 2021) and have a high likelihood of returning to Nevada in the next two years (4.2 on a 5-point scale in 2021).

Tourism Opportunities

Reno-Tahoe International Airport

University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)

The Row Reno

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa

Grand Sierra Resort & Casino

Peppermill Reno

Downtown Reno Riverwalk

Jobs

In 2021, tourism-supported jobs accounted for 19.3% of all jobs in the state.

Spending

Visitors spent $39.4 billion in Nevada in 2021. This supported a total of $23.2 billion in business sales when indirect and induced impacts are considered.

Economic Vitality

The value of all visitor-associated goods and services produced in Nevada in 2021 stood at $27.7 billion, an increase of 26% over the prior year.

Outdoor Recreation

Spending on outdoor recreation reached over $1 billion in 2021. In 2021, Great Basin National Park welcomed over 146,000 visitors, and Nevada State Parks welcomed over 4 million visitors.

Rural Recovery

In 2021, visitor spending in Nevada’s 15 rural counties increased from pre-pandemic levels by about 2.8%. In 2021, room tax collections in Nevada’s 15 rural counties increased from pre-pandemic levels by about 17.7%.

Income

The $17.9 billion in total income generated by tourism is the equivalent of $15,800 for every household in Nevada.

Heads in Beds

Room tax collections set a record in FY21 reaching nearly $26.7 million, eclipsing pre-pandemic levels by 6.3%.

Visitors

Travel & Tourism is a foundational cornerstone of Nevada’s economy. In 2021, more than 43 million travelers visited Nevada.

Tax Generation

Tourism in Nevada generated $10 billion in tax revenue in fiscal year 2021, with over $4.4 billion accruing to state and local governments.

Local Support

The $4.4 billion in state and local taxes generated by tourism in fiscal year 2021 could support the equivalent of 79,100 school teachers.

Visitor Spending

The $39.4 billion in visitor spending in 2021 means that nearly $108 million dollars was spent every day by visitors in Nevada.

Money for General Fund

Travel Nevada is one of the only state entities to generate money for the General Fund each year without drawing any money off of it.

Grant-funded Projects in Your District

Travel Nevada offers opportunities to communities to develop their tourism products via two grant programs. The agency’s Rural Marketing Grants help communities market their destination to visitors to generate overnight stays. Travel Nevada awards $1.4 million per year to rural partners for a variety of marketing projects. The 3D Program is a long-range, tourism-based community planning program that enables Nevada’s rural communities to be intentional about growing their visitor economies. Six projects were recently chosen to go through a strategic planning process and will share $2 million to execute their plans at the completion of the process.

Nevada Grant Funds Graphs

Your district lies in the Reno-Tahoe Territory. Below is a list of some of the projects that have been funded as part of the grant programs:

The Comstock Foundation for History & Culture was awarded $12,000 to produce promotional videos for distribution on TV and radio in northern Nevada and northeastern California. (Virginia City)
The Virginia City Tourism Commission received a $12,500 grant to create a promotional video featuring local musicians. The video will document artists as they work to create a song that ultimately will become the new music track for future advertising.
A $41,250 award was granted to Carson City Culture & Tourism Authority to execute multiple marketing and advertising efforts to support its first full-scale marketing campaign to drive larger awareness of Carson City.
Carson Valley Visitors Authority was awarded a combined $26,625 to extend and expand an existing campaign, to create additional video and photography asserts, and specifically target road trip enthusiasts through social media, retargeting ads, and call-to-action ads.
An award of $6,750 was extended to Main Street Gardnerville to rebuild their website to better serve its business members and visitors.
Reno-Tahoe Territory received a grant of $6,000 to sponsor the GoWest Summit held in Reno in February 2022. Nearly 100 qualified buyers and media were hosted to showcase area attractions.
A $15,608 award was granted to the Nevada Indian Territory to strengthen cultural awareness and identity; implement a sustainable marketing plan; create economic development opportunities that are inclusive of 28 Nevada Tribes; and to sponsor numerous Nevada powwows and cultural events.
Upcoming 3D Projects in your District

Carson City/Reno Tahoe Territory – Visit Carson City: The tourism authorities of Carson City, Carson Valley, and Virginia City have come together to create a plan that will establish a cultural corridor connecting the three communities. This will improve visibility for arts and culture attractions and create opportunities to connect local artisans with visitors.

Nevada’s Indian Territory (Statewide) – As part of this plan, Nevada’s Indian Territory will develop statewide eco-cultural tourism assets that focus on environmental stewardship and cultural aspects of the Great Basin Indigenous People. In addition, the group will work to establish itineraries and tours representative of Great Basin Tribes.