Clark County tourism leaders gathered at McCarran International Airport Friday morning to welcome Hainan Airlines’ first flight from Beijing.
A special performance from KÀ by Cirque du Soleil kicked off the welcoming festivities.
Chinese tourists are one of the fastest-growing and largest-spending groups of international visitors to Las Vegas.
With the reciprocal 10-year tourist visas and the introduction of hotels, programming and amenities geared toward Chinese visitors, Las Vegas has established itself as a major draw for Chinese visitors traveling to the United States.
Three flights a week from Beijing are expected to bring in $35 million a year and thousands of visitors.
Many of the Lucky Dragon's players cards are coming from people with Chinese passports. The hotel-casino caters to Chinese tourists with signs in Chinese first, English second.
Lucky Dragon has already had a soft opening and has a grand opening Saturday.
Signs throughout the Las Vegas Premium Outlets are also in Mandarin.
