The entire Las Vegas travel community has a deep appreciation for all travel agents, including our home-based travel agent partners. So on this 10th anniversary of Agent@Home magazine, I’m here to report that travel agents remain a key segment of our business in Las Vegas, with more than 13 percent of visitors using professional travel agent services for their trips.

Currently, there are more than $12 billion in travel and tourism-related projects under way in Las Vegas, reimagining and transforming the destination on an almost daily basis. This large volume of new and exciting experiences creates interest and demand for additional visits. It also makes planning a trip to Las Vegas rather intimidating. With the assistance of professional agents, however, planning a Las Vegas vacation is not only easy, it is a joy.

This year Las Vegas is on pace to break 40 million visitors for the first time ever. The destination also will see the addition of four new resorts, the most since the opening of City Center in 2009. The Cromwell, SLS Las Vegas, the Delano Las Vegas and the LINQ Hotel & Casino will increase our nationally recognized room inventory, creating additional room products and flexibility for travelers.

In addition to being one of the most popular travel destinations for visitors, Las Vegas provides a number of tools to equip and reward our professional travel partners. Our custom website (www.lasvegas.com/travel-professionals) is your portal to these exciting resources. Included on this website is information on everything there is to do in Las Vegas, from hotels and shows to tours and restaurants.

PHOTO: The Las Vegas Welcome sign.

The site’s “Commissionable Vegas” section lists all of the available opportunities where you can receive commissions. Also included are templates and photos that you can use to create Las Vegas emails for your clients. To make group bookings a snap, there is a “Group Booking Request” form that allows your request to be distributed to all of our hotel partners at one time, maximizing efficiency and the opportunity to get the best fit for your client.

Las Vegas is not just about commissions. We feature two separate ways for you to be rewarded with the Cash In On Vegas booking incentives. For every room night that you book, register it at TrackMyLasVegasBookings.com for a chance to win one of 10 monthly drawings for fabulous Las Vegas prizes, such as gift cards ranging from $100 to $500. In addition, you will earn points for booking rooms, which can then be used for your own personal hotel stays, show tickets, attractions and Las Vegas merchandise. The more you book and track, the more you’ll be entered to win.

Rewards are great, but Las Vegas aims to be the best partners possible to our travel professionals. Our knowledgeable staff is always available for questions and regularly travels to other cities for networking events. We encourage all of you to let us know where you are based so we can include you in those invitations. If this is something of interest to you, please contact our staff.

Thank you for your continued partnership and remember, “What Happens Here, Stays Here.”