Blue Sail’s Neen Kelly on her visit to a ‘Marmite’ tourist destination
A recent family trip to USA took me to many places. San Francisco was cool, Yosemite was big, Death Valley was hot and Las Vegas was, well Las Vegas. I wouldn’t say that I was excited about this particular visit, but it was a necessary stop to see the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, before heading off to Colorado.
Perhaps I am a tourism snob and cannot appreciate the appeal of such a full on destination. Is it a Marmite-type of place? I often raised an eyebrow when friends said they were going, so admit to being curious. Vegas didn’t let me down. It was big, brash and busy. Frenetic gambling, partying and marrying; there were so many weddings you almost heard ‘next’ when one finished.
It was overwhelming, excessive, loud and at times ridiculous; my jaw often dropped. It was also fascinating. For someone who has been involved in tourism for 30 years the scale of it is breath taking. Huge numbers of staff and complex systems to make it all work. There are a staggering variety of shows to appeal to all tastes, and multiple deals to take advantage of – if you know how.
Although I didn’t get Vegas, plenty of others do. Around 40 million visit each year and only 16% of them are first timers. There is an awful lot of loyalty towards Las Vegas so they must be doing something right. As a destination there is nowhere else like it. It is impressive. Working in tourism I feel richer for having experienced it, but as someone who does not like Marmite, found myself very glad to be leaving Las Vegas.