Posted: Sep 21, 2021 7:35 am
Last updated: September 21, 2021, 7:35 am.
Las Vegas is perhaps best known as the gambling capital of the United States, a place many Americans flee to for a truly worry-free vacation. Sin City is also a hugely popular destination on the global tourism scene, but foreign guests – whom the resorts rely heavily on year-round – have not been able to visit since the pandemic began.
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will go into operation in September 2020. In November, international travel to the US is expected to increase due to the easing of entry restrictions. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Southern Nevada got great news this week when President Joe Biden’s administration announced the easing of entry protocols into the country for foreign travelers. Vaccinated non-citizens will be able to travel to the US beginning in November, provided they undergo a COVID-19 test and receive a negative result within three days of departure.
You will need to provide proof of vaccination before boarding a plane to the United States, ”said Jeff Zients, White House coronavirus coordinator.
“Almost six billion vaccinations have been given worldwide and dozen of countries have high vaccination rates. Vaccines continue to show that they are highly effective, even against the Delta variant, ”added Zients.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide which vaccines are appropriate for travel to the states.
Vegas victory
After a year of being forced to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel, millions of Americans who were once allowed to travel to southern Nevada to celebrate a sense of normalcy. This pent-up demand in the States kept Las Vegas busy all summer.
As a result, Nevada casinos reported record gross gaming revenues in July. The state’s casinos grossed $ 1.36 billion from players that month, the highest monthly mark since the first legal casino bet was made in Nevada in 1931.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reports that visitor traffic increased from just under 1.3 million travelers in January 2021 to more than 3.3 million travelers in July.
The data for August has not yet been released. But with schools back to classroom learning and many companies starting to require their employees to physically return to the office, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Las Vegas visitor traffic began to decline from July onwards. Opening up international travel will help keep Las Vegas busy.
“Today marks a major turning point in the recovery in international visitor numbers that are essential to the Las Vegas tourism industry,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO.
Prior to the pandemic, international travelers made up 14 percent of all visitors arriving in Las Vegas in 2019.
Not just leisure travel
Hill’s LVCVA, which is responsible for promoting southern Nevada and occupying more than 145,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas year round, says the international travel news will also help revitalize the convention business.
This milestone is significant and welcome news for many of our major trade shows and conventions, which attract exhibitors and attendees from around the world, ”said Hill.
Recurring overseas travel plus conventions will ideally result in Las Vegas casinos continuing to hire staff in the coming months. Nevada continues to hold the undesirable title of having the highest unemployment rate in the country.
“As for the domestic air, we’re back to where we were. International travel was a big missing component, “Chris Jones, chief marketing officer of McCarran International, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
