The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced  Las Vegas' visitation grew to 39.2 million in 2007. It marked the fourth consecutive year Las Vegas set a new visitation record. Last year's visitation count represents a 0.7 percent increase over the 2006 figure of 38.9 million.Las Vegas also matched its highest occupancy level in history, reaching 90.4 percent for the year, tying its previous record set in 1996. The destination's average occupancy level now stands at 27 percentage points above the national average.

Clark County's gaming revenue also broke the previously set record, rising 2.2 percent to $10.9 billion."The strength of the Las Vegas brand continues, as reflected by another record year for visitation," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO, LVCVA.In addition to releasing 2007 visitation statistics, the LVCVA issued a projection that 39.8 million people will visit the destination in 2008, noting more than 9,000 new guest rooms are slated to be added to Las Vegas' hotel inventory this year. Nearly $40 billion in new development is planned or under way between now and 2012, including more than 40,000 hotel and motel rooms and 5 million square feet of convention space citywide.

ABOUT THE LVCVAThe Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 137,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 9.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area.