Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Chris Jones

U.S. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., told a group of local business leaders Tuesday he's working to create a full-time tourism advocate position within the Department of Homeland Security.

Citing past problems and challenges that ranged from Las Vegas' recent security-centric New Year's Eve celebration to the department's 2003 decision to shortchange Southern Nevada in its first wave of federal anti-terrorism funding, Porter said the creation of a tourism-specific department position is critical to business interests in Nevada and other states.

"People don't understand the impact of tourism in their own state," Porter said of an industry that was recently projected to generate $568 billion in traveler spending this year, according to the Travel Industry Association of America, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group.

"In developing the future of homeland security ... I felt that we needed to make sure that in Homeland Security is an individual that specializes in tourism and the aspects of security blending with the business community, just so there's a perspective of how tourism works," Porter added.

Speaking at a luncheon organized by the Nevada Restaurant Association, the first-term congressman told a small group gathered at Aladdin's Commander's Palace restaurant that Las Vegas' most-recent New Year's Eve celebration proved that maintaining communication between security personnel and business leaders is crucial to successful, large public events.

Despite highly publicized threats of terrorism, Porter said local and national leaders worked closely to effectively entertain nearly 300,000 visitors without jeopardizing their safety. He hopes similar cooperation would occur on a national level through creation of a Homeland Security tourism advocate.

"Your decision is only as good as the information you have to make it with," Porter said of questions such as those surrounding New Year's Eve, including calls to cancel the annual fireworks show as a precaution.

"I think that the more information we can give this next generation of law enforcement -- homeland security, sheriffs, police -- the better they're going to be able to make their decisions," he said.

Porter said it's too soon in the process to discuss candidates for a position that doesn't yet exist, though he's confident many competent candidates would emerge.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President Manny Cortez, who last year was selected as one of 15 members of the newly created U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board, has been an outspoken proponent of tourism's benefits at both the local and national levels. He could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Jerry Bussell, who serves as Nevada's homeland security adviser to Gov. Kenny Guinn, also could not be reached Tuesday.