As the plane taxied to a stop, a member of the cabin crew said the familiar, often clichéd words of how nice it had been taking care of us then added jocularly that she would see us all on our way back when we ‘have all become fabulously rich’. To which a cynical passenger could add ‘or when we have all become desperately poor’.  And this evokes the question: Why do people visit Las Vegas?

I am not much of person for photographs; neither am I one for mementos. But as we stepped into the Las Vegas airport moving towards baggage claim, there on our path, was an entrance-like arc bathed in neon lights which read ‘What happens here, only happens here’. I instinctively walked towards the arc and requested for a photograph as I entered it. Symbolically, it was like a gate ushering visitors into the world of Las Vegas. But it also reminded me of the famous saying that ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’. 

A saying which suggests mischief and immediately seeks to assure potential adventurers of silence, of conspiratorial secrecy. To buttress this notion of mischief, Columnist SonalaOlumhense, my colleague and friend, texted ‘nice to know you are visiting the Sin City. Just be sure to get a room high up!’ In two cryptic sentences, the famous wordsmith had hinted at licentiousness bordering on lasciviousness. He had also hinted at good, historic architecture and a great view of the neon lit city. This again raisesthe question: Why do people visit Las Vegas?

Perhaps the first thing you notice on entering Las Vegas is the weather. It hits you in a gust of hot air before the air-conditioned lounges at the airport take over. And because of the heat, you probably don’t notice that majority of the people swirling around you are leisurely dressed. They appear dressed for the hot weather or for the beach. Which is strange because Las Vegas is not in any way bounded by the beach and therefore not reputed for water sports.

This again brings up the question: Why do people visit Las Vegas? Whatever the allure for Las Vegas, gambling is apparently a big part of it.  Literally millions of gaming machines are positioned everywhere. They range from the simple slot machines to sophisticated, almost computerized gaming machines. The stakes also range from a few dollars to thousands, if not millions of dollars. Participants range from tourists and adventurers who just want a rush of adrenalin to professional gamblers who make a living from the tables. Is gambling therefore the reason people visit Las Vegas?

For most visitors, Las Vegas is a onestreet city. Las Vegas Boulevard is virtually where everything happens. It is a street that never sleeps. In fact, it is a street that starts pulsating as the sun sets. The lights are so bright that you can’t but wonder how much electrical energy is utilized everyday. The hotels which are so ingeniously linked by walkways that you might not need to cross the street, and eateries are alive with heavy pulsating music. And if you are in the mood, you can dance from one hotel to another on the way to your destination.

Milling around the busy and casino laden hallways of the hotels are scantily dressed females who appear ready for whatever adventures the night might bring. It seems the combination of exquisite designer shops, seductively dressed females, tolerance for all forms of adult entertainment and casinos give Las Vegasthe deserved appellation of ‘The entertainment capital of the world’. It is perhaps why it is also called ‘The Sin City.’ Is the quest for different varieties of adult entertainment including shopping, the reason people throng Las Vegas?

Waltzing through the busy Boulevard, one cannot but notice the assemblage of fine architectural masterpieces on this one street. A building, the Caesar’s Palace – where some of the world’s famous boxing tournaments were held – is designed to give its residents and visitors the ambience of Rome while another, the Eiffel Towers, transports its residents and visitors to Paris. A building simulates volcanic eruptions every hour in the evenings while another building plays with under water lightings, also every hour. I took Sonala’s advice and rode the lifts to the 30th floor of a hotel to capture the panoramic view of this‘CityOf Lights’.

One word to describe my experience is breathtaking. Do people visit Las Vegas just to savor the different moods and modes of fascinating architecture and creative ambience? Lovers of shows will not be disappointed either. There is no evening of the week that one hotel or the other will not advertise the live performance of at least one international artiste. So if attending shows and repertoires is your thing, the City will more than satiate your appetite. But will that be enough reason to visit ‘The Entertainment Capital Of The World’

For whatever reasons people visit – I am even told that serious conferences are held inside its many hotel halls – Las Vegas has become one of the busiest resorts in the world with over three million people visiting the tiny meadow every year. For me however, my visit was to honour a good friend for whom no expense is too much, on his 70th birthday. The caliber of people who flew in from different parts of the world – including every member of his deceased friend’s family whom he had mentored these past ten years – is a clear testimony of the special place this man has in the hearts of many people.

He had wanted a quiet celebration but his children and mentees thought otherwise and for this reason, I will not mention his name to protect his privacy save to say he is the President of the Board of Trustees of a foremost golf club in Nigeria. Here is wishing him many more years of good health and sufficiency. The second reason I visited this city was to pay tribute to the minds that gave birth to Las Vegas which is a Spanish word for ‘the meadow’. The kind of vision which saw potentials beyond the obvious disadvantages of an inclement weather, water scarcity and desert encroachment must be acknowledged and applauded.

It is the same way I feel about those who conceptualized Dubai and the resorts in Mexico and turned them to successful tourist centres. I can only hope that those who have the means in Nigeria will take a cue from Las Vegas in USA, Dubai in the Emirates and Cancun in Mexico to develop resorts in Nigeria. Especially now that the country is trying to move away from ‘the oil curse’. They should realise that wealth and power mean nothing until they align with vision and the desire to make an impact.