Nation’s largest mall planned for Miami

Nation’s largest mall planned for Miami

MIAMI

Developers are proposing to build the nation’s biggest shopping mall in northwestern Miami-Dade County.

The Miami Herald reports Canadian company Triple Five wants to develop the mega mall. Triple Five opened the Mall of America in Minnesota in 1992 and the company says the new mall, named American Dream Miami, will be even larger.

The $4 billion entertainment and shopping complex will include an artificial ski slope, a lake with submarine rides, a water park, indoor gardens and miniature golf course, among other attractions.

The 200-acre development is expected to bring 25,000 jobs to the region.

The proposed developed still needs various approvals from local officials.

Arkansas website

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism has launched a redesigned version of its official tourism website, Arkansas.com.

The new mobile-friendly and interactive site presents the personality of Arkansas with inspirational photography, typography, video, compelling stories and easy-to-use data and trip-planning tools.

The website first launched in 1998 to great success, winning multiple awards the following year. Arkansas.com continually ranks in the top-10 most-visited state tourism websites in the country.

Geography quiz

Q. Where would you go to visit the Mosquito Coast?

A. Central America. Much of the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and a small portion of Honduras make up the area that was claimed by a variety of countries over the years, including Britain and Spain.

Tourism impact rises to $50B in ’14

LAS VEGAS

Visitors to Las Vegas last year spent an estimated $723 each, says a report that pins the value of tourism at $50 billion total.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority commissioned the economic impact report that was recently presented by Applied Analysis. The agency says 41 million travelers visited Las Vegas last year, its most on record. Spending per visitor also is up by $33 compared with 2013 with convention-goers spending more than leisure travelers.

Jeremy Aguero with Applied Analysis says 2014 represented the highest visitor spending the destination has ever seen on everything but gambling.

The report says one in four southern Nevada workers are directly employed in tourism.

Combined dispatches