When the SARS virus outbreak spread from China throughout the world in 2003, Las Vegas was in a panic.

How would this mysterious severe acute respiratory syndrome affect the local economy?

As it turned out, the effects of SARS were minimal except for one major technology convention. Local tourism experts have no data on the final impact on tourism by SARS and visitation could have been affected by other events, including lingering effects of the 9/11 attacks and the U.S. war against Iraq that broke out in March 2003.

Experts expected the worst for Las Vegas during 2003 SARS outbreak