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Vegas Hopes to Bring Back Asians in Year of the Horse

”That's what Las Vegas casinos are hoping for the upcoming lunar new year that begins Feb. 12, following a disastrous end to a year that saw Asian travel to the city -- which accounts for a major chunk of its lucrative high roller business -- virtually vanish after Sept. 11.

”…The stakes are especially high for some of the city's marquee casinos, like Bellagio, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand, that cater to high rollers and rely on Asian bettors for a big part of that business.

”…Specific data is hard to come by, but industry watchers report that the volume of overseas Asians -- who account for as much as 3 percent of annual visitors -- in Las Vegas dropped to a trickle after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

”…In one important indicator, Japanese flagship carrier Japan Airlines suspended its five weekly non-stop flights from Tokyo to Las Vegas shortly after Sept. 11. It has yet to resume service, although flights could resume as soon as March, according to some observers.

”In one of two major concerts, Caesars Palace staged a `Hong Kong All-Star Christmas Special,' which played to a capacity crowd of 4,000 and was televised on Mandarin and Cantonese language stations in the United States and Hong Kong.

”…While overall Asian business has been down in the months since Sept. 11, the loss of Asian `whales' -- the Vegas term for high rollers who spend millions of dollars in a single visit -- has been particularly keen for casinos that cater to high-end players.

”`In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, we were off 75 to 80 percent' in Asian high roller business, said Feldman of MGM Mirage, the industry's biggest marketer to high rollers. `But that's rebounded very nicely -- even a little faster than we expected.'…”

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