How Vegas Tourism May See Another Downturn

As Europe begins to allow domestic travel once again, it seems for many that international travel may be next on the cards for many – one country that many are looking toward is the US as it continues to deal with the coronavirus in a much more widespread way that Europe is as many have considered it to be struggling, despite this with have seen many businesses across the US reopen its doors, none more so prevalent perhaps than Las Vegas as sin city has had a number of weeks in the spotlight once more, but not necessarily for the best reasons.

(Image from planetware.com)

The controversy had come in the way that the reopening occurred – although it was made mandatory for employees to follow some safety requirements such as wearing a mask, the same was not true for guests – videos quickly emerged of packed casino and hotel lobbies in which guests didn’t adhere to social distancing guidelines and without any face protection, quickly paying a price. Nearly two weeks to the day of the reopening, the highest single day rise in cases had been observed, and the same has remained true for every day following as cases continue to rise in the state. It had already been suggested that domestic travel makes up around 50% of all guests, but the other 50% is made up through international travel – a huge tourist industry that may be damaged by this recent surge in cases once again. In order to ensure safety, measures need to be taken so that international travellers aren’t at risk if they do visit.

This may also inadvertently lead to an increase in online alternatives too – despite changes in regulation for many countries such as the mandatory change to UK casinos with an initiative called gamstop, this change has led to many operators registering outside of the country and by using these casinos not on gamstop, players can access them from across the world without restriction – it has already been suggest that online casinos have seen a surge in new users during the lockdown, and if players are seeking an alternative to these offline brick and mortar locations especially during this troubled time in Vegas, that increase could look to continue.

The current sentiment is a big focus on an economic recovery, and as such it is no surprise that there has been such urgency to reopen in the way that has been done – in order to curb the growth further measures have been taken as rules that were made mandatory for employees have now been done so for guests too, whether or not it will have the desired effect is yet to be seen and any indicator may still be a week or two away – the damage may already be done however, what could be considered the peak holiday season is upon us and whilst many are starting to look for a holiday once again, if the US and Vegas is set to capture any of this audience, change must come fast.