President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban could hurt international tourism to Las Vegas, according to key city officials.
Speaking at this week’s Routes Americas 2017 conference at Aria, Chief Marketing Officer for McCarran International Airport, Chris Jones, said it was difficult to attract visitors when the message being sent was contradictory.
“It’s a challenge whenever there is something that could be perceived as, ‘Coming to America is problematic’,” the Las Vegas Review Journal reports Jones as saying. “I understand security, I understand the reasoning behind what is going forward but we also want to project a welcoming message to people from around the world and that’s a balance that needs to be struck.”
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President (LVCVA) and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter is spruiking a similar message.
“The most important thing from a travel standpoint is that you need to be able to provide a safe trip, but you also need to be welcoming,” he said.
The LVCVA is hoping to see international visitation to Las Vegas grow to 30 percent from its current level of 16 percent, with Asia a key target for tourism officials.
