Thanksgiving vacationers come and they have quite an appetite.
It’s the second Thanksgiving weekend during the pandemic. But the circumstances are different this year: there are no pandemic capacity restrictions, shows are on, COVID-19 vaccines are widespread across the country, and international borders are open to vaccinated travelers. Mask requirements apply again.
These factors bode well for the Las Vegas tourism industry and its chances of resembling a Thanksgiving weekend before the pandemic.
Officials believe the Las Vegas visit will coincide with 2019 rather than Thanksgiving 2020. Back then, large gatherings were banned, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised against travel, and Governor Steve Sisolak had just ordered casinos to limit their maximum number of guests to 25 percent of the standard fire safety capacity.
“There’s a lot more Vegas to love since it fully reopened,” said Lori Nelson-Kraft, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Holiday weekends are a favorite of the resorts in the Las Vegas Valley because they offer guests the option to stay – and spend – an extra day or two, Nelson-Kraft said. She added that hotels fill around 90 percent of the rooms they provide over Thanksgiving weekend.
The visitor authority did not calculate any visitor forecasts during the pandemic and will not change this for the holiday weekend either. However, the agency is anticipating a busy weekend with the potential to hit around 300,000 visitor levels for the weekend in 2016-2019, she said.
The Nevada Department of Transportation expects a similar number of visitors over the weekend, with many from southern California and Arizona, spokeswoman Adrienne Packer said. Tourism is generally declining during the pandemic as some tourists remain reluctant to be exposed to the deadly coronavirus, she said, adding that recent holiday weekends like July 4th have not been significantly below average.
Motorists in the West will have to contend with above-average gasoline prices. According to the AAA, a gallon of gasoline cost an average of $ 3,409 in the US on Monday.
California led all states in average gas prices of $ 4.706 per gallon, while Hawaii came second at $ 4.344 per gallon, and Nevada had the third highest average price at $ 3.982. Arizona and Utah also landed in the top 10 highest gas prices with US $ 3.738 and US $ 3.695, respectively.
According to the AAA, an estimated 53.4 million people nationwide will be traveling for Thanksgiving this year, up 13 percent from 2020.
Not just holidays, but events
Resorts have “much higher” bookings, occupancy, room rates and ticket sales than last year this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend, said Virginia Valentine, president of the Nevada Resort Association. She named concerts, events, and 10 major weekend sporting events – including a Raiders game, a Golden Knights game, college basketball tournaments, boxing, motoring, and an equestrian event – as the drivers behind the holiday weekend.
She said the resorts are excited about the possible return of international tourists after nearly two years of pandemic travel restrictions. The US opened its borders on November 8th to international travelers with proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
International guests stay longer and spend more, Valentine said, adding that “Thanksgiving doesn’t mean the same thing to them”.
“Overall, this is another positive sign of the full economic recovery in Las Vegas,” said Valentine.
A JP Morgan poll of room rates on the Las Vegas Strip for Thanksgiving week, released Oct. 31, found that rates rose 6 percent during the week and 16 percent at the weekend. to determine needs.
According to the survey authored by gaming analyst Joseph Greff, MGM Resorts International prices rose 4 percent during the week and 29 percent weekend prices compared to 2019, while Caesars Entertainment Inc. fell 20 percent midweek prices and 9 percent weekend prices. Wynn Resorts Ltd. Up 23 percent from 2019 and weekend prices 47 percent and Las Vegas Sands Corp. rose 61 percent during the week and 17 percent at the weekend.
According to Brendan Bussmann, partner in the consulting firm Global Market Advisors, room rates looked “strong” on the extended holiday weekend. He said he hoped rates continue to reflect growth and return to pre-pandemic levels.
Last year’s Thanksgiving was “surprisingly strong indeed” for 2020 as people had some catching up to do but couldn’t see their families, said Amanda Belarmino, a UNLV host who studies the relationships between social and cultural movements and customer behavior.
Popular buffets return
She said that due to the lack of family-friendly activities, Las Vegas is less of a traditional destination for Thanksgiving and Christmas travelers. However, she added that travel demand to Las Vegas has grown with the population of the valley.
“I would expect this year to be similar to what we normally see, lower demand that we’ve seen year-round, but with a significant amount of trips to see family members here,” she said. “In addition, the reopened (ed) buffets will attract people who want to get together without cooking.”
Many buffets have returned, although gambling operators have been reluctant to bring them back entirely. Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced a Thanksgiving dinner special at the Caesars Palace bacchanal buffet, as well as holiday-themed meals at restaurants in its Las Vegas hotels.
Representatives from Wynn Las Vegas, Station Casinos, Red Rock Resorts, Boyd Gaming Corp. and Las Vegas Sands Corp. did not return requests for comments. A spokeswoman for MGM Resorts International declined to comment.
The limited availability of buffets has “changed the dynamic of how people may try to overeat at their Thanksgiving meal,” Bussmann said. “But our food / beverage industry is second to none in the world. … There are many ways to still eat well. “
Many resort restaurants combine Thanksgiving dinner menus with Christmas decorations, while retailers “really lean on” Black Friday shopping to kick off the holiday season, Nelson-Kraft said. The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are a vacation magnet, as is the pop-up ice rink at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, she said.
People will be excited for the vacation to begin, especially as the world continues to navigate through the pandemic, she said. People still have some catching up to do to get out of town, and the holidays can be a great time to celebrate with their families.
“Vegas does a really great job of balancing the two,” said Nelson-Kraft.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
