After a year in which the Las Vegas tourism and hospitality industry rebounded strong from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the new omicron variant is raising new concerns.
The variant, which President Joe Biden labeled a “cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” led the U.S. and several other nations to restrict travel from eight “high-risk” African countries last week. While the restrictions do not affect Las Vegas directly, Nevada authorities are paying close attention to emerging information on the variant.
“As with the delta variant, the impacts of omicron will be hard to predict,” said Amanda Bellarmino, an assistant professor at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“The shutdown from the African nations may not have a direct impact on Las Vegas since we just reopened to international tourism; however, the ripple effect may have an impact. Until we know the severity of the omicron and its ability to be transmitted, we will be uncertain as to its impacts. In the short term, it may increase our domestic tourism as people fear further lockdowns. In the long term, I think it may push back further international travel.”
“Until there’s more known and understood by medical experts, it’s too early to tell,” Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of communications for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, told the newspaper.
National tourism officials repeated the message in statements to the Review-Journal.
“Covid variants are of concern, but closed borders have not prevented their presence in the United States while vaccinations have proven incredibly durable,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for the U.S. Travel Association. “That is why America’s travel industry is a vocal proponent of everyone getting a vaccine.
“With a vaccine and testing requirement in place to enter the U.S. we continue to believe that assessing an individual’s risk and health status is the best way to welcome qualified global travelers into the United States.”
