The hotel industry has a plan to safely revive Nevada business travel.
With Nevada officially reopening in early June, tourists are increasingly returning to destinations like Las Vegas, signaling the beginning of our journey to recovery. On June 1, Las Vegas officially reopened to 100 percent in hotels, casinos, bars and restaurants, with the wearing of masks only recommended for those who have not been vaccinated.
Nevada’s economy is heavily dependent on the tourism industry. More than 42 million people visited Las Vegas in 2019, and the occupancy rate was nearly 96 percent in August 2019. Fast forward to August 2020: Las Vegas saw a drop in visitors of almost 60 percent compared to 2019.
During Memorial Day, AAA estimated more than 37 million people who traveled. While that number is still down more than 60 percent from pre-COVID-19, it’s an important milestone that shows consumers are ready to leave their homes and travel again.
After a year of record-low occupancy rates, this is good news for travelers and the tourism industry alike. An increase in summer vacation travel, while promising for the industry, is not enough to account for the state’s huge economic losses over the past 15 months.
The summer vacation travel rebound will pave the way for recovery, but the hotel industry and its employees will continue to face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic until business travel resumes.
While cities like Las Vegas welcome hundreds of thousands of vacationers each year, the city’s hospitality industry is also heavily reliant on income from events, conventions, and group meetings. In fact, it is the largest source of income for the industry and a major source of employment.
Business travel, which is 85 percent down from pre-pandemic levels, is not expected to fully recover until 2024, while some major events, conventions and business meetings have been canceled or postponed to at least 2022.
As more Americans get vaccinated, the hotel industry continues to advocate the health and safety of hotel workers and guests as we enter a new phase on the road to recovery.
At the start of the pandemic, the American Hotel and Lodging Association brought the hotel industry together in “Safe Stay,” an industry-wide initiative dedicated to “Improving Hotel Cleaning Practices, Social Interactions, and Workplace Protocols To Address New Health and Safety Challenges, And” Expectations Of COVID- 19. “
By constantly evolving to meet the demands of the public health crisis, Safe Stay has helped keep staff and guests safe during the pandemic. Now that meetings and events are slowly resuming, the association has provided hotels with new operational guidelines and checklists to ensure the next business meeting or wedding you attend is safe.
As a medical professional with expertise in infectious diseases and biological threats, I can confidently address the hotel industry’s tireless commitment to the safety of hotel staff and guests.
With around half of US adults now fully vaccinated, there are signs of a return to normal. However, we still have a long way to go before the Nevada hotel industry fully recovers to pre-pandemic levels.
As the industry prepares for a surge in travel this summer, travelers should rest assured that the hotel industry will continue to protect travelers as we move into the next phase of recovery.
Retired Rear Adm. Louis Tripoli, MD is the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s national spokesman for COVID-19 security.
