Miller seeks LV tourists in Mexico, South America

Gov. Bob Miller's mission to drum up nonstop air service to Las Vegas from Mexico and South America will include scheduled meetings with the presidents of two countries.

Miller leaves next week for Mexico, Brazil and Argentina and has meetings scheduled with executives of six airlines as well as a flurry of government leaders, transportation, tourism and trade officials.

Among the planned meetings are sessions with Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo -- an acquaintance of the governor when he was being considered as a candidate for an embassy appointment -- and Carlos Menem, the president of Argentina.

The scope of the governor's weeklong trip is similar to the one he took to Japan and Taiwan in June. The end result of that trip were announcements that two Tokyo-based air carriers, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airlines, were making plans to fly directly from Japan to McCarran International Airport.

Japan Airlines will begin nonstop service between Tokyo and Las Vegas in October while All Nippon will operate two charter flights -- often a prelude to regularly scheduled service -- from Nagoya in the middle of next month.

Many of the travelers to Central and South America were members of the contingent that went to Asia. Joining Miller will be Thomas Tait, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism, whose office set up most of the logistics for the trip. Brenda Hughes, international manager of tours and travel for the Nevada Commission on Tourism, formalized the governor's itinerary.

Also joining the group will be representatives of Circus Circus Enterprises and Mandalay Bay, Circus' new megaresort due to open next year, and Ray Vega, a North Las Vegas entrepreneur and one of the top Hispanic business leaders in the state.

Las Vegas City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, who accompanied Miller to Japan, and Manuel Cortez, executive director of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, also will be with the group for part of the tour.

The final itinerary hasn't been completed so an estimate has not been figured on how much the trip will cost taxpayers.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism has arranged meetings for the governor's group with representatives of AeroMexico and Mexicana Airlines, the two leading air carriers of that country, and Allegro, the top charter operator, when it is in Mexico City.

In meetings originally scheduled in Sao Paulo, the group will confer with executives from Vasp and Varig Brazilian Airlines in Rio de Janeiro.

The contingent will then meet with leaders of Aerolineas Argentinas, a leading national carrier, in Buenos Aires.

State officials say their intent is to encourage the foreign carriers to develop nonstop flights between their major markets in their respective countries and McCarran.

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