LETTER: Whistling past the tourism graveyard

A great deal has been said and written about why tourism is slumping in Las Vegas. Many blame President Donald Trump for antagonizing Canadians, and I think there’s some validity to that. But that’s not the whole truth.

The current exchange rate for converting Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars is $1.3787-to-$1. In other words, the Canadian dollar is worth between 60 and 70 cents after the money-changers take their cut.

Adding insult to injury for our Canadian friends — and, yes, I have many — are things such as a $26 bottle of water and mini-bars rigged with sensors that automatically charge you for the item if you even just move it. And let’s not forget the newest rage in pay-for-parking — “event pricing.”

I honestly think Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, is whistling while he’s walking through the graveyard about Vegas tourism. Nearly every Strip casino is gouging customers every way they possibly can. This means all their talk about “enhancing the visitor experience” is just putting lipstick on the pig. When tourism visitation drops 7 percent to 12 percent and the gaming “win” goes up 5 percent to 7 percent for the casinos, something’s rotten in Vegas — and we all pretty much “get it.” Now, will the casino operators “get it” in time to make it all work again?