WHY IT RATES: Travel agents and advisors should be taking note of the possible deal between the LVCVA and Elon Musk’s The Boring Company.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) today, March 6, 2019, announced a recommendation to select The Boring Company (TBC) to design, construct and operate a people mover for the Las Vegas Convention Center via a loop of underground express-route tunnels that could carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds. Upon approval by the LVCVA Board of Directors on March 12, the project would be another first for Las Vegas and have the potential to connect Downtown, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor, McCarran International Airport and beyond.
“The selection of The Boring Company for the Las Vegas Convention Center’s on-property, guest transportation solution leads the way to the evolution of transportation overall in Southern Nevada,” said LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill. “Our destination thrives on innovation and reinvention and The Boring Company’s concept allows us to continue providing the world-class experience our guests and clients have come to expect and move people in an efficient and cost-effective manner with advanced technology.”
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Currently in the midst of an expansion, the Las Vegas Convention Center will span 200 acres when complete in time for CES in 2021. Conventioneers walking the facility will log approximately two miles from end-to-end hence the need for an on-property guest transportation solution. In 2018, Las Vegas had more than 42 million visitors. The Las Vegas Convention Center hosts more than 1 million convention attendees annually. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada carries approximately 12 million passengers per year within the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor.
“We are excited to work with the LVCVA to provide a world-class mass transit system in Las Vegas,” said Steve Davis, president, The Boring Company. “Upon approval, it can be in use by Las Vegas Convention Center guests within one year, supporting the LVCVA’s expansion timeline.”
Founded by Elon Musk, TBC is a leader in innovative transportation technology. Its projects include a Research and Development (R&D) Test Tunnel in Hawthorne, California. The R&D Test Tunnel represents a fully operational 1.14-mile Loop system that cost less than $10 million per mile including internal tunnel infrastructure.
The LVCVA’s TBC recommendation is a result of a multi-step process that started in 2018 with a request for information to gauge interest. A request for proposal was then issued. Interviews with the qualified respondents were conducted by an evaluation team who determined the recommended company. The evaluation team was comprised of representatives from the LVCVA, private organizations including a Las Vegas resort property, and consultants in transportation systems, and automated people-mover construction and operations industries.
Pending the LVCVA Board’s approval during their March 12 meeting, TBC and the LVCVA would determine specific design, construction and operational plans and negotiate a contract for final approval by the LVCVA Board in a subsequent meeting anticipated by June 2019. The potential project’s estimated fiscal impact is $35 to $55 million.
Tourism is the engine that drives Southern Nevada’s economy, and one of the greatest opportunities for continued growth is business travel. Through expanding and renovating the convention center coupled with innovations in efficiently and effectively moving locals and visitors within the destination, Las Vegas will not only retain its status as the No. 1 conventions city, it will ensure the economic future of the entire destination.
Overall, the tourism industry continues to be crucial to Southern Nevada’s economy generating $58.8 billion in total economic impact, supporting 391,000 jobs and $16.4 billion in local wages and salaries. These jobs represent 41 percent of Southern Nevada’s total workforce.
For more information, reach out to your local travel agent.
SOURCE: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority press release.
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