A&E

Asian superstars are bringing business to the Strip

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Asian superstar Stefanie Sun is set to take the stage at Wynn Las Vegas Dec. 24-25.

Stefanie Sun, Coco Lee, Aaron Kwok—haven’t heard of ’em?

They’re famous entertainers. They sell tons of albums and DVDs, and they’ve all played Vegas in the past year. Here’s the catch: Sun, Lee and Kwok are superstars in Asia. They perform at the Wynn, but the property doesn’t advertise their shows in English-language newspapers or on English TV channels. The Wynn doesn’t need to; these performers fill up the Encore Theater with Clark County’s Asian-language-speaking residents. The Wynn also offers special room rates to Asian travelers who fly in for the concerts.

Approximately 8 percent of Clark County’s residents identify as Asian-Americans. Many of them moved here from Southern California, and within the past decade, the county’s Asian population has nearly doubled, dramatically increasing the demand for Asian performers.

Coco Lee debuted her World Tour at Wynn Las Vegas this past July 3.

The Encore Theater isn’t the only venue to fill this demand. The MGM Grand welcomes Asian entertainers during Chinese New Year (celebrated in January or February) and Christmas. And when the Filipino variety show Wowowee played the Thomas & Mack, more than 14,000 Filipino fans came to watch.

So maybe Vegas should stop worrying about Macau and Asia stealing our business, and maybe Asia should worry about us stealing theirs.

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