Visitors to Las Vegas skew younger

LAS VEGAS » A statistical snapshot of Las Vegas visitors finds a younger crowd with fewer gamblers spending more money on food and drink than five years ago.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released a visitor profile for 2013 on Tuesday that found that almost 4 of 5 visitors were married, and almost 9 out of 10 earned more than $40,000 a year.

The 103-page report, based on thousands of surveys conducted throughout 2013, finds the average age of visitors now is just under 46. That’s four years younger than in 2009.

Their average spending on food and drink during a four-plus-day stay was just under $279, and 72 percent attended shows.

The proportion who gambled was 71 percent — down from 83 percent five years ago.

Dallas museum unveils Islamic art

DALLAS » The Dallas Museum of Art is putting on display the first item from a rarely shown Islamic art collection that it recently got on long-term loan.

The carved crystal ewer will go on display Tuesday at the museum. The pitcher from late 10th- to 11th-century Egypt was cut from a single piece of rock crystal.

It’s part of the Keir Collection, which is one of the largest private holdings of Islamic art. The museum announced earlier this year that the collection of almost 2,000 works was coming to Dallas as part of a 15-year renewable loan.

The museum says only seven rock crystal ewers of similar quality from the medieval Islamic world are known. The collection was assembled by a Hungarian-born collector over five decades.

New exhibits debut at Ohio zoos

Two of Ohio’s zoos opened their big new exhibits last week.

The Columbus Zoo is showing off its 43-acre safari-themed addition where visitors can see lions, wildebeests and cheetahs.

The area also offers camel rides and a chance to feed giraffes.

The Toledo Zoo has three new bird-themed attractions.

A new penguin area offers underwater viewing, while visitors also will be able to get a close to flamingoes and parakeets in their new homes.