Carson City visit prospects looking up

A 21 percent increase in people checking out Carson City for possible visits, with many of the prospects from California, was reported to the community visitors’ bureau board at the latest meeting.

With upgraded search engine optimization techniques employed, the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau board learned Monday, the term “events in Carson City” tops the list and other similar phrases are near the top when people do relevant searches mostly from mobile devices.

Representatives of MacWest Marketing in Carson City said Californians are the top visitors to the bureau’s website, while Nevadans used to be under a different format. The breakdown of devices involved is about 65 percent mobile and 35 percent tablet users. Miya MacKenzie, MacWest owner, said the marketing effort now employs a “consistent message throughout,” including “consistent branding.”

The marketing presentation came during a regular meeting and included a look at how various actual events are being marketed, including the Nevada Sesquicentennial Fair at Fuji Park July 30-Aug. 3.

Joel Dunn, bureau executive director, said things are working out for that first-time fair geared to the whole state as part of Nevada’s 150th birthday celebration.

“It’s all come together in the last month,” he explained, adding a prediction. “And it’s going to be a great event.”

Dunn also gave the board his monthly update on lodging. He said May and 2014 occupancy rates are down for the top 13 and top five lodging properties, compared with 2013, but that was a year in which the Legislature met.

Occupancy rates for May and for 2014 were up more than 11.17 percent and 10.21 percent, respectively, for the top 13 properties compared with the non-legislative year of 2012. For the top five properties, they were up 13.87 percent in May and 14.07 percent for the year when the benchmark was the non-legislative 2012.

Revenue at lodging properties was stronger compared with each of the past two years, Dunn reported.

At more than $1.3 million for May and $5 million for 2014, revenues for all properties were up markedly. In May, they were up 3.79 percent compared with 2013, up 16.45 percent compared with 2012. For the year, they were up 5.07 percent and 14.26 percent, respectively, when compared with 2013 and 2012.

Only the top five properties lagged slightly in May, compared with 2013, and were flat for the year in that comparison. Compared with 2012, however, the top five take was up 8.01 percent in May and 10.86 percent for the year.