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Good news for those with Las Vegas hotel jobs and other positions in the leisure, hospitality and tourism industries.

Despite the city's struggling economic situation, Las Vegas was ranked as the number one trade show destination in the country for the 16th year in a row. The city received the honor after hosting the most "Tradeshow Week 200" largest shows.

"Billions of dollars have been invested in the facilities, amenities, and service to make Las Vegas the premier convention destination and that collaborative effort continues to pay dividends," Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said.

About 20,000 meetings and conventions are hosted in Las Vegas each year. The city's convention industry is responsible for 46,000 jobs and brings $4.5 billion into the local economy.

Las Vegas hosted 45 of the 200 shows during 2009, which is more than double the number of conventions hosted elsewhere. Chicago came in second with 25 shows and Orlando came in third with 18 shows.

Las Vegas also hosted six of the top 10 shows on the list, including the International Consumer Electronics Show, which is the largest show on the list this year. The city also hosted World of Concrete, The International Builders Show, ReCon, the National Association of Broadcasters and the World Shoes+Accessories Show.

This is all great news for the Las Vegas economy, which has continued to struggle throughout the economic downturn.

During April, the Las Vegas-Paradise area's unemployment rate increased from 13.8 percent to 14.2 percent, after a decrease from 13.9 percent during March. The latest increase keeps the area's rate higher than the national average of 9.9 percent.

The Las Vegas area had a total non-farm employment of 797,400 jobs during April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 796,100 workers during March, but a 4.6 percent decrease from last year.

Labels: Las Vegas hotel jobs