CARSON CITY — The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) will bring a group of travel journalists from Germany on a four-day adventure tour starting Monday to promote Reno, Lake Tahoe and Virginia City in the growing European market, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki announced Friday.

The six writers for German newspapers and magazines will ride Truckee River whitewater on kayaks, watch and interview cowboys at the Reno Rodeo, be pampered at a luxury spa, step back in time in Virginia City, feel the adrenaline rush of the Heavenly Flyer Ziprider, sightsee from the Gondola, hit the national forest trail on horseback, sail Lake Tahoe aboard the Tahoe Queen, enjoy a sunset on the beach at Incline Village and shop at the new Legends at Sparks Marina entertainment center.

“Germany is one of Nevada’s top five overseas tourism markets, and we want to attract greater numbers of Germans to the Reno-Tahoe area,” said Krolicki, the chair of NCOT. “Our goal for this familiarization tour is to inspire travel stories that will influence more Germans and other Europeans to visit Nevada.”

A representative of NCOT’s promotional office in Germany will accompany the tour, and two NCOT media relations staff members will serve as guides. The tour will conclude Friday afternoon.

New statistics from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority show Germany has jumped from fourth to third in overseas visits to Las Vegas, increasing 25.4 percent from 114,000 in 2007 to 143,000 last year. For all international markets, including overseas and North America, Germany is surpassed by top-ranking Canada with 1.5 million visitors to Nevada, the United Kingdom with 397,000; Mexico with 366,000, and Australia with 161,000. Las Vegas attracted more than 2 million overseas visitors last year and nearly 4 million from all international markets.