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Las Vegas shows big rebound in March

Las Vegas is rebounding with data showing increased airport traffic and a big jump in statewide casino winnings to US$1 billion for the first time since February 2020, which was buoyed by the NCAA basketball tournament, according to a report from The Associated Press.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which launched a new advertising campaign on Monday, reported Tuesday that it tallied more than 2.2 million visitors in March.

The tourism figure was down 40% compared with the same month two years ago, but up from the 1.5 million tourists the authority tallied in the first half of March 2020, before casinos and other businesses were closed due to COVID-19.

McCarran International Airport said Monday it handled nearly 2.6 million passengers last month, up 961,000 from about 1.6 million arriving and departing passengers in February.

In March 2019, by comparison, the airport counted 4.4 million passengers on the way to a record-setting 51.5 million travelers in 2019.

Nevada Govenor Steve Sisolak loosened occupancy limits statewide from 35% to 50% on March 15, and plans to leave coronavirus mitigation measures to local jurisdictions on May 1.

Sisolak has set a June 1 target for lifting all statewide restrictions except face coverings, which will still be mandated.

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