Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and Nevada Commission on Tourism Executive Director Bruce Bommarito this week wrapped up a nine-day tourism-boosting mission, which included the official opening of the tourism office, located in a busy hotel in the embassy district of Beijing.

At the office, a two-person staff with a $100,000 annual budget will promote the state, pass out brochures, schedule advertising and make community presentations in and around the metropolitan area of Beijing.

But none of the Chinese targets of Nevada's pitch will ever hear about what has made Nevada famous -- the state's largest employer, the casino industry.

Bommarito, who called media outlets in Nevada from China to talk about the office and the efforts of the 16-person delegation, told the South China Morning Post that the mainland government doesn't have a pro-gaming policy, "so we will not market gambling in China."

Added Karen Chen, who is heading Nevada's office, "We assured the China National Tourist Administration that we will not promote gambling."

"It's a situation of us following the rules of the country we're working in," Bommarito said. "When you're in another country, you follow their rules and respect their culture."

Bommarito said no forms of gambling are promoted in mainland China, even though the Chinese city of Macau has offered it for more than 40 years and legal gambling flourishes at Hong Kong race tracks.

"It's one government and two systems," Bommarito said. "In Macau, you can talk about it and promote it. On the mainland, you can't even promote it."

Some members of the Nevada Commission on Tourism said they weren't aware that Nevada representatives couldn't talk about gambling, but they said it isn't a big issue to them because the commission hasn't made the promotion of the state's casinos a high priority in the past.

"The Nevada Commission on Tourism's mission is to advertise the state and if you look at its ads, you'll see a lot of images of some of the other attractions, like Lake Tahoe," said Manny Cortez, president and chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and a member of the state commission.

"I don't view it as a liability, frankly," Cortez said. "Even we (the LVCVA) don't advertise gambling per se. We promote entertainment and the excitement Las Vegas has to offer."

Ferenc Szony, vice chairman of the Commission on Tourism and chief executive of the Sands Regency hotel-casino in Reno, said the critical issue is exposing Nevada to the China's vast population base.

"Many of the things we take for granted in Nevada -- the wide open spaces -- are fascinating to the rest of the world," Szony said. "When they look at rural Nevada, they can't believe we have so much open space. That's far more interesting to them. We don't have to focus on gambling to be an interesting place for the Chinese to visit."

Besides, any potential Chinese tourist knows that gambling exists in Las Vegas, a national travel expert said.

Noel Irwin-Hentschel, chairwoman and chief executive of American Tours International, Los Angeles, one of the largest inbound tour operators in the United States, said Las Vegas is world-renowned as a gambling destination and many Chinese tourists use the Internet to research destinations. She added that its more important for Nevada to promote itself in China than to be concerned about losing its ability to promote gambling.

"It's definitely interesting because the Chinese people love to gamble," Irwin-Hentschel said. "But the government in China is making that decision to protect their people because, for whatever reason, they don't want them gambling."

Irwin-Hentschel said the governments of other countries have rules that American companies must comply with in order to do business there. Restrictive societies have policies about promoting other vices, like consuming alcohol or watching scantily clad dancers. Some countries even have restrictions prohibiting companies from conducting business unless a majority of the company is owned by a native of that country.

"There are a lot of double standards out there, but it's opening up," she said. "The more tourists we get to visit our country, the more we can change the landscape. It shows the difference of living in a free society like the United States as opposed to a country that has been under Communist rule. Things are changing, but they're not going to change overnight."

Irwin-Hentschel said Nevada's tourism office could provide a leadership role for changes in attitude toward U.S. destinations and that some day, the promotion of gambling may be allowed.

"By having an office there, at least you're showing them you want them to come," Irwin-Hentschel said.

Richard N. Velotta covers tourism for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4061 or by e-mail at velotta@lasvegassun.com.