FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release Date: November 30, 2015 Kill Date: December 19, 2015 Contact: Robert Morris, 702.630-5173; 702.610-5035 E-mail:  [email protected] Las Vegas Visits Impact Philippine Agri-Tourism Las Vegas – With 32 million credited to the Las Vegas tourism count through September, no one thinks about the agricultural side of the gaming industry. No one thinks of Las Vegas as a place to grow food. They do in the Philippines. Their reasoning: visitors have to eat and the restaurant scene is changing rapidly.         Three government officials representing the Philippine Department of Agriculture recently took note of changes they predict will impact agri-tourism in the Philippines. Most notable is how government involvement can foster or hinder development of this new industry.       The restaurant industry has marketed itself differently in Las Vegas during the past decade paralleling consumer demand. These changes are trending internationally as well. Themed restaurants have emerged which embrace the locally grown food trend, eating healthy and growth of farmers markets.         Philippine government representatives visited several producers of local food in Las Vegas. Here they learned about enticements and barriers producers experienced working with local government agencies to bring locally grown food to area restaurants frequented by tourists.           In a recently published Restaurant Business Online survey, 15 of the top 100 restaurants in gross food and beverage sales are located in Las Vegas. The number one restaurant grossed $47 million in 2014. Tourists visiting Las Vegas spent over 60% of their tourism dollars on food and drink. This equated to about 70% of their gambling budget.         The Philippines is poised to become the next most attractive gambling hub in Asia given its proximity to a range of key tourism markets.  It attracts over 4 million visitors each year with a 40% increase in tourism over the past three years and expected to climb dramatically. Dramatic increases are attributed to increased gaming restrictions in Macau, the world’s largest gaming destination, and the shrinking Chinese economy. ### Robert Morris is an Emeritus Professor with the University of Nevada, Reno and retired Horticulture Specialist with Nevada Cooperative Extension. He is local and international horticulture consultant who contributes weekly with his own byline to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Visit www.xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com If you would like more information about this topic or schedule an interview with Bob please call him at (702) 630-5173 or email him at [email protected]