Feds tell their employees to stay away from Vegas

The Federal Government, as a matter of policy, sent e-mails to their employees to stay away from Las Vegas (plus Reno and Orlando) because they are worried that the media may be critical of them for going to so-called, "lavish resort destinations"

A Department of Justice spokeswoman said, "We do have guidance that says avoid locations and accommodations that give the appearance of being lavish or are resort destinations."
Travel industry lobbyists say government policies have essentially resulted in a blacklist of banned destinations that is punishing travel-dependent states, such as Nevada and Florida. Those destinations, which have tens of thousands of hotel rooms and millions of square feet of conference space, often offer the best deals on meetings and conferences, say officials from the U.S. Travel Association.

"We get the sense that these agencies are worried about scrutiny, and in order to avoid criticism from the media they are essentially willing to spend more money and do things that they think will prevent them media scrutiny," said Geoff Freeman, senior vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association. "In the quest to demonize travel, we're killing jobs."

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