In Business Las Vegas (a sister publication to Las Vegas Weekly where I am on staff) reports that starting next week Korean Air will offer three direct flights from Seoul to Las Vegas each week. What is interesting is that it appears that the goal is to make getting to Las Vegas easier for Chinese tourists.

Indeed, it isn't just Korean Air that is betting the new Chinese middle class wants to come to Vegas (via Seoul) to gamble at our resorts. The airline has had local support from the Nevada Tourism Commission as well as the omnipresent Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. According to In Business:

"State officials have worked for months to spread the word about Las Vegas to the millions of Chinese middle class who now have the means to take international trips. Korean Air, meanwhile, has negotiated to add flights into three Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, where the state and the LVCVA have made most of their marketing efforts."

It will be interesting to see if in fact this starts happening. For now, three flights that can hold 300 people means only 900 travelers a week. Still, the plan is to eventually expand into a daily route. According to the Las Vegas Business Press, if this new route doesn't work out, the corporate parents of the Vegas casinos will always have Macau to get at those Chinese tourist dollars.