Could Southern California fires affect Las Vegas tourism? Maybe

While some tourism experts say it’s too early to talk about the potential impact the Southern California fires will have on tourism to Las Vegas, those commenting are split over whether potential visitors will stay home in the aftermath or need a break from the stress and come anyway.

Southern California roughly makes up one-third of Las Vegas visitors. Historically, there have been minor lulls in visitation to the Strip after fires, mudslides, earthquakes and other calamities that have affected California communities.

But the widespread devastation brought particularly by the Palisades and Eaton fires that began Jan. 7 make this disaster different from others. Between them and nearly 30 other smaller blazes, more than 38,000 acres have burned and more than 12,000 buildings destroyed.

While some leaders think there won’t be a long-term impact on Las Vegas visitation, others say the priority to victims will be addressing recovery and the paperwork that goes with it instead of traveling.

“It is very early to understand what the impacts of the wildfire will be on Las Vegas,” said Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. “Many of the casinos have already been very generous, and I expect to see further generosity both from the casino companies and our citizens.”

She was referring to the many donations to relief efforts from casino company foundations and through other charitable giving.

“I would expect to see less visitors from California as travel will not be their first priority, and many of them will not be able to afford it,” Belarmino said. “However, Las Vegas is always resilient, and with increased consumer confidence this year, I expect we will find ourselves in a good enough situation to be able to stay strong and help our neighbors to the west.”

No significant impact

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, is among those who don’t think visitation will take much of a hit as a result of the fires, but he also said it may be too early to tell.

“While it is premature to comment on implications for Las Vegas, we do not anticipate any significant economic effects,” Hill said in an emailed comment. “Our focus remains on those impacted by the ongoing and devastating fires, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions many in Las Vegas have made to support relief efforts.”

Josh Swissman, founding partner and managing director of Las Vegas-based GMA Consulting, sees two potential scenarios coming out of the disaster: that Southern Californians would devote all of their resources to recovery and not come to the city, or break away for short trips as a respite from the recovery process.

“I do think they will be distracted from their normal sort of visitation or vacation patterns only because they’ve got so much of their lives and their homes to clean up and to rebuild,” Swissman said.

“At the same time, I think that Vegas also serves as a nice kind of quick respite and getaway to put, albeit temporarily, your concerns behind you,” he said. So I sort of go both ways there. I do think you’ll see some people that are looking just to get away for a weekend while they continue to sort their lives out.”

He expects that pattern to last awhile because of the enormity of the destruction.

“If vacations are in the cards for those people and they’re being budget conscious, Vegas has always served as a nice, relatively low-cost destination,” he said. “And it’s relatively close. You can do it at the last minute, you can hop in your car. You know, gas, while it’s more expensive than any of us want it to be, it’s not prohibitively expensive for a trip here.”

Of the Nevada Resort Association’s 75 members, 63 are Southern Nevada properties and NRA President and CEO Virginia Valentine said Southern Nevada has had a long-time relationship with Southern California that extends to helping them in times of need.

“Southern Californians are a special part of our community as neighbors, visitors, friends and family of Southern Nevadans,” Valentine said in a statement.

Close ties

“With such close ties between our communities, the resort industry is providing immediate support to the Los Angeles area through significant monetary donations to the Red Cross and the L.A. Fire Department Foundation; matching employee donations dollar for dollar; holding donation drives; contributing portions of sales; sending in-kind goods; and offering flexible and discounted stays.”

While the discounted stays were well-intentioned, some resorts that offered discounted rates immediately after the breakout of the fires were criticized on social media for being insensitive.

“We recognize this is a longer-term crisis that will require additional support and assistance,” Valentine said. “Working with the governor and state and local leaders, Nevada’s resort industry will continue to strongly support our neighbors to help them recover as quickly as possible.

“Our concern is for the safety and well-being of the residents, firefighters and first responders, and we applaud Gov. (Joe) Lombardo and local fire departments for sending vital resources and strike teams to help.”

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.