Thursday, July 17, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

TRAVEL AND TOURISM: Foreign visitor tally slumping

Official: Attack fallout lingers

The number of international visitors who traveled to Las Vegas last year was off more than 30 percent from 2000 levels, new data released late Wednesday shows.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimated 2.78 million foreign visitors passed through Southern Nevada in 2002, down 10.9 percent from the previous year's 3.12 million total. Last year's total also was off significantly compared with 2000's numbers, when more than 4.01 million foreign visitors were reported in Southern Nevada.

Convention authority spokesman Rob Powers said the recent downturn is indicative of a nationwide slump in international tourism following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"We've dealt with some unprecedented challenges in the international travel market over the past two years," Powers said. "International visitation to the United States is down to destinations across the board, and Las Vegas is no exception."

Wednesday's report was based on numbers obtained from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, which routinely conducts in-flight surveys of international travelers on their way to the United States. Its data supported Powers' claim of a nationwide slowdown in foreign travel.

Last year, an estimated 41.8 million international visitors arrived in the United States, down 7 percent from 2001's total of 44.9 million arrivals and off nearly 18 percent from 2000's reported total 50.9 million arrivals.

Las Vegas' biggest decline came from Japan, which was the city's top overseas market in 2000 with an estimated 511,000 visitors. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Japan Airlines suspended its direct service between Tokyo and McCarran International Airport for nearly five months, which led to a 2001 total of 282,000 Japanese visitors.

Last year, Japanese visitation dipped to 192,000, good enough for second-place on the city's list of top overseas markets. Australia, France and Germany were also more than 50 percent below their 2000 totals.

The city's No. 1 ranking now belongs to the United Kingdom, which reported 290,000 visitors last year, just 5.2 percent below its 2000 total. More good news came from Mexico, which reported 254,000 Las Vegas visitors last year, up from 231,000 two years ago.

The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries has estimated the nation's inbound international traveler total won't approach 2000 levels until at least 2006. Still, Powers said Las Vegas remains committed to luring more foreign visitors.

"Mexico's numbers are up significantly, and in light of all the challenges, the United Kingdom has held steady," Powers said. "The fact that Virgin Atlantic will add a third weekly flight (between Las Vegas and London) this fall is a great sign that international travel still has great long-term potential."