Welcome to the July edition of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority’s South Shore Bulletin. This newsletter highlights tourism trends, strategies, initiatives, and programs that increase visitor awareness, support our community and environment, and strengthen our economy.
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Left to Right: Melanie Lucero (Bally’s), Caroline Beteta (Visit California), Casey Peck (Margaritaville), Angelina Leon (Bally’s), Stuart Maas (LTVA), Gabe Gundling (Lake Tahoe Balloons), and Juraj Sojka (LTVA)
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- Juraj Sojka, Director of Tourism, and Stuart Maas, Senior Director of Sales & Business Development, of Visit Lake Tahoe, attended IPW 2025, held in Chicago. This is the nation’s leading inbound travel trade show, which connects U.S. destinations with more than 1,500 travel buyers and media representatives from over 62 countries. They were joined by key industry partners: Angelina Leon and Melanie Lucero of Bally’s Lake Tahoe, Casey Peck of Margaritaville Lake Tahoe, and Gabe Gundling of Lake Tahoe Balloons. The team conducted more than 80 one-on-one appointments with domestic and international tour operators.
- Stuart Maas attended Meetings Today LIVE! West in Tuscon to connect with planners and share how South Lake Tahoe delivers awe-inspiring experiences year-round. The Southwest continues to be a key source market for meeting planners, and this event provided a valuable opportunity to highlight Lake Tahoe’s unique blend of natural beauty and modern amenities.
- Cameron Wiebe, Group Sales & Services Manager, of Visit Lake Tahoe, attended the 2025 HelmsBriscoe Annual Business Conference in Toronto. Cameron sat down with 32 HelmsBriscoe Associates and had many more conversations at the Opening Night Networking Event at the Royal Ontario Museum, creating new connections and showcasing South Lake Tahoe as a premier destination for meetings and events.
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American Century Championship
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The 36th Annual American Century Championship begins tomorrow. A few key notes to share with your guests and frontline staff:
- Compliments of the LTVA, free bike valet will be provided directly across from the main gate at Edgewood Tahoe. Bike valet will be open 7am-6pm on Wednesday & Thursday, 7am-5pm on Friday & Saturday, and 7am-4pm on Sunday. Paid parking is available at the casinos and nearby lots, which are all within walking distance. Lake Link is also available and LTVA has added two vehicles to the fleet to help accommodate the high volume of visitors expected. Be aware of longer wait times during peak entry and exit periods.
- Tickets are still available online for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday are sold out. There are no tickets sold at the gate. If tickets are still available, guests may purchase a ticket using their smart phone.
- The clear bag policy is strictly enforced. Find the official 2025 list of approved items here.
- Heavenly is offering a $69 ($10 off) Gondola sightseeing ride to all ticketed American Century Championship spectators valid from July 7–20. To redeem, guests can show their ACC ticket at the Heavenly Gondola ticket window. In addition, the Gondola will stay open until 7 pm on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July, 12, instead of the usual 5 pm.
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Rules to Lake By Coloring Book
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This month Visit Lake Tahoe will begin distributing Rules to Lake By coloring books to restaurants and other select stakeholders. The coloring book is an educational tool to encourage visitors and residents to adopt the best practices for caring for Lake Tahoe. To make a request for coloring books, email Ryn Muat, Communications & Community Outreach Manager for Visit Lake Tahoe, at ryn@visitlaketahoe.com and she will send further instructions for making your request through the Partner Portal and the Partner Use Agreement to eligible stakeholders.
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- The Emerald Bay Pilot Shuttle program begins July 15 and runs through October 15. Note that parking near Emerald Bay will be very limited and visitors are encouraged to utilize the shuttle service, which has an online reservation system.
- Our Accessibility page is now live and is an excellent resource for guests who have, or are traveling with someone who has, a disability.
- Did you know that the new MacOS system will be named Tahoe? CNET requested a comment from our office for their article on the subject.
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The following earned media was published this past month:
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Travel + Leisure included South Lake Tahoe in its 15 Best Lake Towns in America write up this past month.
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Pride Journeys highlighted the South Shore as a premium destination for celebrating summer.
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Ryn Muat was interviewed on KTKZ’s Home Show with Terry Knight, providing updates on new activities and events to inspire summer travel.
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