Accomplishments: Office of Economic Development

Marta Soligo (Economic Development; Hospitality) was invited as the guest speaker for the Tourism Think Tank, “Tourism and Memory, dark tourism examples and case studies” organized by the University of Bergamo (Italy). She presented the research, “Tourism in Hollywood cemeteries: A critical approach,” which she conducted with David R. Dickens.…
Marta Soligo (Economic Development; Hospitality) published a chapter in the Italian book, Sociology of tourism consumption, published by Pearson. The chapter investigates current tourism trends in North and South America, with an analysis that explores aspects such as the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence of new travel…
Research professor and director Jeffrey Cummings, (Brain Health, Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience) and director Jamie Schwartz (Industry and Business Engagement, Economic Development) were awarded a $1.5 million INNOVATOR grant from the National Institute of Aging (NIA). This five-year grant will help the…
Marta Soligo (UNLV Office of Economic Development) was interviewed by the Italian gambling-related magazine GiocoNews. The interview centered around casino tourism, with Soligo exploring topics such film-induced tourism and the diversification of the tourism economy in Southern Nevada. Moreover, Soligo was asked to talk about gambling studies…
Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute), Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute), Shane W. Kraus (Psychology), Ashok Singh (Hospitality), and Bo Bernhard (Office of Economic Development) published an article titled, "Evaluating the generalizability of payment behavioral profiles across gambling brands," in International Gambling…
Marta Soligo (Office of Economic Development), Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute), Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute), and Bo Bernhard (Office of Economic Development) published an article titled, "Coping with the Pandemic: Resilience and Recovery Across The Hospitality and Gambling Industries During Covid-19," in the…
Marta Soligo (Economic Development) was interviewed for the Italian podcast DOI. In the episode, Soligo described her research on Italianness in Las Vegas' attractions, exploring the relationship between tourism, food, and identity. Moreover, she explained how a sociological approach can help researchers better understand topics such as the role…
On May 13, 2023, Marta Soligo (Office of Economic Development) was invited as a guest speaker for a webinar organized by the Kenya-based consulting company STTA-Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda. Soligo’s presentation, titled, “Film-Induced Tourism for a Responsible Future,” focused on the phenomenon of film tourism, touching on topics such as…
Marta Soligo (International Gaming Institute and Sociology) published the chapter "Playing with Heritage: Gambling and Venice's Tradition" in The Casino, Card and Betting Game Reader: Communities, Cultures and Play (Bloomsbury Publishing). The chapter focuses on heritage tourism and gambling in Venice, centering around topics such as collective…
Jay Vickers (Economic Development) chief business and revenue officer for UNLV’s Sports Research & Innovation Initiative, was named to the advisory council for the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Game Changers United.  The newly created seven-member council of athletics leaders and former U.S. Soccer national team members will work alongside…
Sojeong Lee, Toni Repetti, Ashok Singh (all Hospitality) and Bo Bernhard (Economic Development and International Gaming Institute) have published an article, "The Impacts of a Smoking Ban on Gaming Volume in a South Korea Casino," in The Journal of Gaming Business and Economics. The number of countries and cities implementing smoking bans has…
Tiange Xu (Hospitality) received a $3,000 research stipend award from UNLV's International Gaming Institute and the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling for his research study examining problem gambling and mental health disorders in Nevadan university students. His mentors for the project are Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute)…