Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 11:03 a.m.
A visiting French diplomat said Wednesday he was impressed with Southern Nevada's efforts to diversify its economy and hopes to someday attract businesses from his country to the area.
French Consul General Jean-Luc Sibiude made his first visit to Las Vegas to discuss opportunities for improved trade between French and Nevada-based business interests.
Following meetings with representatives from the Nevada Development Authority, the city of Las Vegas and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, Sibiude said he hoped to build upon a trade relationship that has resulted in the shipment of nearly $130 million in goods from Nevada to France since the start of 1999.
"Las Vegas is famous for its tourism and entertainment industry, but it was good for me to see another side," Sibiude said. "I think there are good opportunities for French industries and corporations to come to Las Vegas."
Sibiude described his encounters with local leaders as a "first contact" and said he had no specific plans to increase its imports from Nevada or bring French businesses to the state. However, he intends to discuss such possibilities with members of the French trade commission in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
"It takes a lot to figure out what could be done and on which track we'll focus our attention so I won't go into specifics," Sibiude said. "I don't want to raise expectations too soon, but it's now our job to carry publicity of the economic environment here (back) to the French government and corporations."
Specific numbers on France's imports to Nevada were unavailable, but France ranked as Nevada's 11th-largest international export market after it received nearly $20.3 million in goods during the first nine months of 2001.
While year-end numbers for 2001 have not been released, Nevada shipped nearly $35 million in goods to France in 2000 and more than $72 million in 1999, according to the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.
The large drop in exports from 1999 to 2000 was likely the result of one or two large transportation industry orders that shipped in 1999, said Alan Di Stefano, director of global trade and investment for the state Commission on Economic Development.
Gayle Anderson, chief of diplomatic relations and global trade representative for the state, said it's beneficial to arrange business exploration visits for foreign dignitaries such as Sibiude.
"He now has a different perspective on Las Vegas, the whole state, and what we have to offer from our economy," Anderson said. "As a (normal) visitor, he'd only see the Strip."
Sibiude visited Paris Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon and said he enjoyed seeing the area's tourism centers in person. He also expressed enthusiasm for Southern Nevada's frequent casino implosions.
"I was amazed to see you had some very big buildings but you imploded them," Sibiude said after city officials showed Sibiude a videotape of changes in the local casino industry that featured several implosions. "You'll take something important like a 25-story building and blow it up to build a 50-story building. Everything here is so new."
Las Vegas' constant reinvention makes it a popular destination for French tourists visiting the United States, said Andre Yves Portal, honorary French consul to Nevada. He estimated the area draws between 50,000 to 60,000 French visitors each year.
"When (French tourists) come to the West Coast, they always stop in Las Vegas," Portal said.
Away from the faux-Parisian landmarks depicted on the Las Vegas Strip, Southern Nevada is home to a small but vibrant community of about 2,000 French citizens or expatriates, Portal added. Before he returned to his Los Angeles office late Wednesday evening, Sibiude stopped at the Palms hotel-casino to meet a group of 100 French citizens who reside locally.
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