Following last week's mass shooting in Las Vegas, America's
inbound tourism industry was taking stock of what kind of impact U.S. gun
violence might be starting to have on the country's image and on the number of
visitors it can attract.
It marks the second year in a row that a high-profile
destination has suffered what at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in
U.S. history. The 2016 Orlando nightclub massacre held that same unfortunate
distinction until last week.
Lisa Simon, executive director of the International Inbound
Travel Association (IITA), said, "Some of our members in Las Vegas
immediately received calls from clients, both those with visitors already in
Las Vegas and those with future bookings for the area. As you might expect,
there were a lot of questions about logistics as well as potential disruptions
to their trips, and there were some cancellations."
Simon said that most of the calls of concern her members
received following the shooting were from Chinese visitors. To help reassure
Chinese officials that their citizens traveling with U.S. tour operators were
in good hands, Simon said that IITA sent
letters to the Chinese consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco, "letting
them know that the industry was working diligently to ensure the safety of
their guests while minimizing disruptions to their itineraries."
While the cumulative impact on inbound travel of mass
shootings in the U.S. has yet to be officially quantified, representatives of
the sector argue that security threats in destinations throughout the world
potentially lessen the image of the U.S. as an unsafe place to visit.
Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson, said, "These types of
things unfortunately are the new way of life. The terror attacks, random acts
of violence [are] not just happening here but all over the world. I don't think
it's going to have any negative impact any more than anywhere else. What makes
Vegas Vegas, what makes Orlando Orlando is still there and is still amazing."
He added that as for the fact that random acts of violence
are part of the new travel landscape, "we're all collectively figuring out
how to deal with that."
Simon, too, said the message her members are trying to
convey to clients is that incidents such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas as
well as natural disasters or an act of terrorism can occur anywhere, anytime.
Dean Smith, Flight Centre Group's president for the
Americas, said the company's Australian customers do not seem to have been
deterred by the Vegas shooting.
"While we have not seen a dip thus far, if some do
choose to bypass Las Vegas in the coming weeks, we expect that will be short-lived,"
Smith said. "Las Vegas is a bucket list destination for so many people,
and one isolated event will not change that. Australians travel extensively, do
not tend to change plans too radically and are resilient."
He added that the combination of affordable airfares and the
relative stability of the dollar continue to make the U.S. an attractive
destination for international travelers.
"The USA consistently ranks as one of the most popular
destinations for Australian travelers," Smith said.
___
Johanna Jainchill contributed to this report.