The recent devastating mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1st has had a significant negative impact on air bookings, as reported by travel data analytics company ForwardKeys. Prior to the shooting, there was already a 7% decrease in domestic bookings and a 2% decrease in international bookings compared to the previous year. However, in the three weeks following the tragedy, there was a sharp decline in bookings, with domestic bookings dropping by 21% and international bookings by 16%. ForwardKeys CEO, Olivier Jager, expressed sympathy for the victims and the hardworking individuals in Las Vegas who strive to provide a positive experience for visitors, despite the difficult circumstances.
The impact of the shooting was felt globally and domestically, with major markets experiencing a significant decrease in bookings. For example, from New York, there was a 29% decrease in bookings, compared to a 3% decrease in the weeks before the shooting. Bookings from the Asia-Pacific region also saw a decline of 10%, after initially seeing a 10% increase before the shooting. This trend is expected to continue in the coming months, as bookings for Las Vegas from November 1st to April 30th are currently down 14% compared to the previous year, with a 10% decrease already present before the shooting. However, ForwardKeys noted that there are still some markets, such as Brazil and Australia, where bookings have not been affected.
CEO Jager remains cautiously optimistic about the future of Las Vegas tourism, stating that a potential recovery is possible if the economy improves, there are no more similar incidents, and effective promotional campaigns are launched. In Southwest Airlines’ third-quarter earnings report, CEO Gary Kelly mentioned that while demand for Las Vegas has not yet fully recovered, he expects it to return to normal levels by the end of the fourth quarter.
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