Highway Headlines ...

      YEAR END HOLIDAY TRAFFIC

     CELL PHONES NOW DOMINATE TELEPHONE USAGE

U.S. TOURISM  ENTITIES STUDY CHINESE TRAVEL

           TRAFFIC REPORT - DECEMBER 2007  

 I-15 at California/Nevada Stateline (Primm, Nevada)

  Total vehicles crossing State Line in both directions during 2007 totaled 14.5 million, off 0.9% from 2006 and showing the first recorded decline in total annual traffic counts for the year of 1%, the first decline in more than ten years.   In December Average Daily Traffic was down 4%, Weekday traffic down 7%, but Weekends were up 2.5%.  Some of this may have had to do with the shift in the New Years/Christmas holiday to Tuesday in 2007 versus Monday in 2006.  In the three days preceding the Christmas holiday (December 22, 23, 24) the northbound counts were down 5% and for the three days preceding the New Years holiday the decrease was 4%. Counts for the non-holiday weekends also were soft, with Friday, the 7th and Saturday, the 8th -9% and the 14th and 15th -15%. 

  Laughlin, Nevada (SR163, Davis Dam Road) and U.S. 95 (Searchlight, .5 miles north of SR 164, Nipton Road)

  Traffic into Laughlin showed a similar pattern as that on I-15, with Average Daily Traffic off 1.2%, Weekday down 3.7%, but Weekend Traffic up 4.9%.  Vehicles headed east bound on Davis Dam Road in the three days preceding Christmas and New Years were comparable to last year over the same periods.   On U.S. 95, measured in Searchlight north of Nipton Road, Weekend traffic was up .6%, Weekday down 6.4%, and Average Daily Traffic down 4.5%.  

  Mesquite, Nevada (200 feet north of the East Mesquite interchange)  

  Average Daily Traffic was off 4.7%, Weekday off 8.9% and Weekend up 4.2%.   North and southbound traffic on this route was evenly balanced during the month with as much going southbound as northbound with the exception of the two days preceding New Years when southbound traffic headed into Mesquite/Las Vegas was 20% over last year.  

GAMING REVENUE REPORT - NOVEMBER 2007 For the first time since January of 2007 gaming win statewide, Clark County, and in all the Clark County venues showed declines.  The steepest drop was on the Strip, with win down 19%. The possible cause was a 61% drop in baccarat win. Twenty-one win was off 17%, and roulette down 23% for a decrease in all table games of 29%.  Slot revenue was off just 8%.  In spite of these drops, win in the trailing twelve months is still up 3.8% on the Strip.     Downtown win was off 9.3%, holding onto a .4% gain in the trailing twelve months.  With a 3% loss in win in November, Laughlin is now even with last year in the trailing twelve months.  The loss on the Strip cut the wins in Clark County in the trailing twelve months down to 3.2% vs. 6.2% in November.  Statewide, win is off 14%, but holds onto a 3.2% increase in the trailing twelve months.

CELL PHONES NOW DOMINATE LAND LINES  Wireless telephones are outstripping land line phones by a large margin.  The latest FCC report suggests that there were approximately 168 million phone circuits on December 2006 vs. 230 million wireless phones.  That means that 58% of the phones were wireless as of December of ’06.  The most recent research done by Highway Radio shows that 88% of the number of drivers on I-15 carry a cell phone.     VS

SATTELITE RADIO MARRIAGE IS STILL NOT CONSUMMATED   The proposed merger between X-M and Sirius Satellite Radio Companies still has not been approved.  Figures quoted on positive growth revenue of the carriers are a little deceptive, according to analyst Phillip Durrell.  The companies reported $952,000 increase in subscriptions for the third quarter of 2007, but that translated into a mere 315, 000 net subscribers, as many who sampled the service for free as part of the new card acquisition and then returned to local radio once the trial subscription ran out.

 MULITPLE PLATFORM ADVERTISING PROVES EFFECTIVE FOR JAPANESE CAR MAKERS    Honda, Toyota and Nissan were above the average in the auto industry for the reach of their advertising messages, according to a study done by IMMI Research (Integrated Media Measurement, Inc.).  These Japanese car makers’ advertising reached 22% more customers than those of domestic U.S. car manufacturers.  Domestic manufacturer, Ford, did the best job of supporting their TV with radio.  Ford increased their TV reach numbers with radio advertising more than any other brand tracked.  Honda combined a similar radio and TV combination, recording the biggest reaches overall in the fall.  Full information on the research can be found on the website of the Center for Media Research (centerformediaresearch.com). 

 U.S. TOURISM ENTITIES STUDY CHINESE TRAVEL The Travel Industry Association (TIA) has teamed with the Alfred P. Sloane Foundation Travel and Tourism at the University of South Carolina and the office of Travel and Tourism Industries U.S. Department of Commerce to conduct one of the largest studies examining Chinese travel preferences.  The purpose of the study it to gain better understanding of the Chinese long-haul travel market, its potential for U.S. destinations and businesses and Chinese views of the United States in general as a travel destination in particular.  Las Vegas has historically been an important destination for far Eastern travelers and with the development of the Chinese market the study should have particular significance for Las Vegas’s hotel/casinos.  

 1.   Percentage increase (decrease) in average daily traffic northbound and southbound divided by the total number of days of the month.

2.   Percentage increase (decrease) in total traffic northbound and southbound Monday through Thursday divided by the number of days of the month.

3.   Percentage increase (decrease) in total traffic northbound and southbound for Saturday and Sunday divided by the number       of days of the month