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Laughlin, NV
Situated 90 miles south of Las Vegas, Laughlin, Nevada was founded in the 1970s as a resort featuring a number of large casinos and hotels. Faced with competition from the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, as well as an increasing number of Indian casinos, Laughlin’s visitor traffic declined significantly. It was essential that the destination create a distinct identity for itself, increase awareness of its attractions, and find new markets through which to grow tourism and the associated revenue.
The Placemaking Group was called in by Applied Development Economics – a firm working with Laughlin on a 10-year economic development plan – to research the market, conduct a tourism asset audit, identify Laughlin’s unique attributes, and create a preliminary strategic marketing plan to promote it as a destination.
In the strategic plan, we recommended that Laughlin begin to shift its focus to target regional travelers interested in the small-town gaming atmosphere of Laughlin, rather than the bright lights of Vegas. In addition, we identified a number of distinct market segments to target: seniors; the young, ethnic Hispanic market; snowbirds; and history enthusiasts among others. Rather than focusing on Laughlin’s gambling industry, we suggested promoting the river and desert experience and Laughlin as a small-market meeting site.
The next step in the Placemaking Group’s participation in this process will be to outline specific marketing-communication programs for each market segment.
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