After the gruesome shooting incident in Las Vegas on 1 October 2017 at the outdoor music festival where 546 were injured and 58 killed, the tourism industry of Las Vegas is bracing themselves for the worst. The casinos, in the city that never sleeps, say that they will experience a dip in visitors that is a direct response to the shooting incident.
Unfortunately, the phrase “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is not applicable and will cost the city dearly. Authorities and casinos will have to fine-tune and sharpen their security measures, after more than 20 rifles were sneaked into the gunman’s hotel room, and he drove a car filled with explosives into the garage.
Las Vegas is desperately trying to mend the damage this heart-breaking event has caused its staff members and families, by showing a dedicated phone line on all the electronic billboards that would usually be promoting concerts, restaurants and other entertainment.
It is hard to measure the extent of the damage that is caused to this well-known city. While planes are still arriving but for now they bypass the city in fear of what might happen. Not only are the casinos feeling the pinch in the numbers that walk through their doors but also in the stock price plummet of the Las Vegas Casino industry.
The forecast by Megan Stanley indicates that Las Vegas markets will take a 4 to 6 percent knock on their economy over the next six months. The spokesperson for MGM Resorts International has also confirmed that they will be beefing up the security in on the Las Vegas Strip to ensure the safety of all their guest and will do their best to prevent this heart shaking event to happen again.
It is going to be a tough task, as guests do not want to feel like they are entering ground zero in the military when they are coming to have a good time. However, Rossi Ralenkotter who is the CEO of the Convention and Visitors Authority is confident that they will be able to bounce back from this shock and be able to promote Las Vegas as the magical city that it is.
