VEGAS MYTHS BUSTED: The Strip Tried Appealing to Families and Failed

In single of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority’s funny young TV commercials, a father informs his boy that Brassica oleracea italica is “the only intellectual nourishment they have” inwards Vegas. “Everything is broccoli,” including the ice cream, he tells the grimacing tyke, who elects to rest place instead.

In the ’90s, Las Vegas wanted you to follow with your kids. Now, it wants you to provide them home. That’s because Vegas’ endeavor at appealing to families failed miserably, leading to a monumental red ink of revenue. Right?

Nope.

In 1993, a unexampled MGM Grand opened. (The old i became Bally’s, and now, Horseshoe.) The largest single hotel inward the reality with 6,852 rooms, MGM was the firstly holiday resort to upside $1 billion in twist costs. It was also the firstly young Vegas resort to flat direct families since genus Circus genus Circus opened inward 1968.

In improver to a “Wizard of Oz” video display featuring prominently within the casino, MGM built a $100M amusement common on 33 acres out back. Its rides included a roll coaster, log flume, rapids raft, and a simulated film studio backlot boat tour.

By 1996, Dorothy and Toto were gone, and by 2000, so was the amusement park. Disappointing attendance was to blame, as it usually is. At the time, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reasoned that MGM Grand Adventures “failed to use up into considerateness that a thirdly of its visitors add up from California, where melodic theme parks are ubiquitous and always racing to unveil the modish inwards thrill rides.”

Here’s the thing, though: nearly all of the other attractions that debuted during Las Vegas’ supposed family-friendly unsuccessful person survived and preserve to thrive. They include the Circus Circus Adventuredome, New York-New York’s roller coaster, the Big Shot sit atop the Stratosphere, Mandalay Bay’s beach and moving ridge pool, and M&M’s World.

The only when other major lesson of a kid-friendly magnet to debut inward the ’90s and snug inward the aughts was Caesars Magical Empire, an almost completely forgotten “high-tech, intricately themed, multi-chambered wonderland” geared at visitors elderly 12 and up. It opened in 1996 and unsympathetic inwards 2002. Though it was ternion hours long and included dinner, it be a whopping (for plump for then) $125 to $200 per person. And frankly, reviews were mixed.

Despite these deuce closures, Vegas has added young kid-friendly attractions every year of the unexampled millennium so far. The Stratosphere (now The Strat) debuted trinity rides (X-Scream, Insanity, and SkyJump) that stock-still dungeon thrilling on its upper decks, though it removed its High Roller roller-coaster in 2005. It was the world’s highest coaster, but also unity of its slowest.

Shows targeting kids, which also debuted during the family-friendly push, are also ease around. Today’s include Mac King’s comedy magic exhibit at the Excalibur, Nathan Burton’s thaumaturgy present at the Miracle Mile Shops, and Popovich Comedy Pet Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops.

Last year, a 7K square-foot picture arcade replaced the former sportsbook at Bally’s/Horseshoe. And the immersive, 200K square-foot Area 15 artistry go through – featuring the Virtualis VR game way – opened inwards 2020, and is expanding to feature film Universal’s first year-around horror see not connected to a motif park.

Failure of Failure Evidence

After the MGM Grand amusement park, the most oftentimes cited evidence for the loser of Las Vegas’ to appeal to families is the release pirate show at one time staged v times a night inward breast of MGM’s Treasure Island. In 2003, the casino’s unexampled owner, Phil Ruffin, transformed “The Battle for Buccaneer Bay” into an MTV-inspired effort to titillate Gen-Xers called “Sirens of TI.” When Ruffin mercy-killed that another 10 years later, the media made a openhanded deal nigh the in conclusion family-friendly Vegas vestige going away.

But what this gag law really signaled was the terminal of a different trend. Steve Wynn stated warfare on resort themes with his Mirage in 1989 and vanquished the trend with his Bellagio nine years later. The impulsion to build more pyramids, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel Towers, and Venetian canals gave way to a want to seem to a greater extent luxurious than the next guy.

Ironically, the casino space that antecedently served as the backstage country for both pirate ship shows is now rented by Victory Hills Exhibitions for its Marvel Avengers Station attraction, which opened inward 2016.

A kids show.

Success past the Numbers

The biggest problem with the family-friendly failure myth is that numbers don’t accept it out. Between 1993 and 1994, Vegas visitation grew from 23.5M to 27.2M. Discounting the recent post-pandemic recovery, this remains the largest single yearly pct uptick inward tourism ever. Also, from 1992 to 1996, the percentage of families visiting Las Vegas rosaceous from 7% to 12%, according to the LVCVA. Today, that number is a whopping 21%.

So, the next time you ascertain a commercial about Vegas’ broccoli ice cream, another right smart to record that is that Vegas at present appeals so strongly to families, casinos at present need more adults drinking and swearing at their cosh tables to even out things out.

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