With a growing number of states
offering gay marriage – New York being the latest – officials in
Las Vegas are considering marketing honeymoons to gay and lesbian
couples.
According to the Las Vegas Sun,
the city's convention and visitors authority has already discussed
the possibility.
Marriage in Nevada is limited to
heterosexual couples. Voters in 2002 approved a constitutional
amendment banning gay marriage in the state. In 2009, lawmakers
overrode Republican Governor Jim Gibbons' veto to approve a domestic
partnership law that recognizes gay couples with many of the rights
of marriage.
The state's economy is intrinsically
tied to the wedding industry. With an average of 114,000 weddings
taking place in Las Vegas each year, the city is the nation's wedding
destination.
And Las Vegas competes with Hawaii as
the top U.S. destination for honeymoons.
Gay tourists spend an estimated $26
million in Las Vegas, according to the visitors authority.
Several Las Vegas casinos already market to gay travelers, including MGM Resorts
International, Wynn Resorts, Ltd., Caesars Entertainment Corp. and
the Tropicana Las Vegas.