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A survey of 4,000 visitors in 2021 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority showed a dramatic rise in the number of people bringing children with them.
In 2021, 21% of tourists had kids tagging along versus 5% in 2019, before the pandemic. 
This year, with kids on school break, it’s become so common to see parents pushing strollers through a casino, that even a casino executive barely noticed it.
Yet while families may be helping Vegas broaden its brand, not everyone is excited about the boom in young visitors. 

It may not be Orlando, but Las Vegas is giving other family-friendly destinations a run for the money. 
“Sin City” once marketed itself to people with naughty inclinations with the slogan “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.” Now what happens in Vegas may include Ferris wheels, sporting events and Instagram-worthy family photos.  

A survey of 4,000 visitors in 2021 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority showed a dramatic rise in the number of people bringing children with them. In 2021, 21% of tourists had kids tagging along versus 5% in 2019, before the pandemic. 
Overall, Las Vegas had 32 million visitors in 2021, which was down significantly from 42 million in 2019, according to the survey. It also indicates that visitors were younger, more ethnically diverse and more likely to travel from western states within driving distance of Las Vegas.
The authority suspects the rise in family travel to Vegas was a blip, prompted by the pandemic. Families, they say, had limited travel options in 2021, with international travel still problematic and Covid concerns top of mind. Many opted for road trips rather than plane flights. 
This year, with kids on school break, it’s become so common to see parents pushing strollers through a casino, that even a casino executive barely noticed it. The executive, who declined to be named, laughed and shrugged when a CNBC reporter commented on the sight. 

The Campbells came to see the sites and sounds of Las Vegas from North Carolina.
Contessa Brewer | CNBC

Families from the West Coast weren’t the only ones who traveled to Sin City with their kids in tow.

Mark and Lori Campbell live in North Carolina. They say they’ve vacationed up and down the East Coast, so they wanted to do something different. For spring break this week, they decided to bring their children, 11-year-old Madison and 14-year-old Miles, to Las Vegas.
“I knew the kids would be kind of blown away by the lights in the city and the activity and the people,” Mark Campbell said, while strolling by a Chippendales photo opportunity on Fremont Street.  
The resort city’s entertainment options are more welcoming to younger audiences these days, too.
Maisie Rojas, a 15-year-old from Colorado, only had eyes for superstar boy band BTS. She carried a photo of her favorite member of the group, V. Her parents brought her to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday with a BTS concert last weekend at Allegiant Stadium.
She’s also a repeat visitor here with her family. “It’s cool. I like it,” she said.  
Her five-year-old sister Giselle was more enthusiastic. “It’s amazing!” she said. The lights are her favorite thing about Vegas, she added.    

The Rojas family visiting Las Vegas from Colorado came to see the BTS concert at Allegiant stadium.  
Contessa Brewer | CNBC

New York parents Anto and Mel Ounanian considered doing the traditional Orlando Disney World vacation this Easter break, but instead opted to take their family of four to Las Vegas. It was less expensive, and less stressful, for them to travel to Vegas and dodge the crowds at Disney.
“Vegas is just a lot more low key and there’s lots for kids to do there,” said Mel Ounanian.
The Ounanians typically stay at the Bellagio when they travel as a couple. But for this first family trip to Las Vegas with their four-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, they booked a room at the family-friendly Mandalay Bay. The resort features 11 acres of “aquatic playground” with a wave pool, lagoon and lazy river. 
“A lot of people are kind of surprised by it,” Mel Ounanian said of her friends’ reactions to her family vacation plans. “They think Las Vegas is really more for adults.”
The Ounanians say they plan to spend a lot of time at the pool with their family but will also include an outing at Tournament of Kings at Excalibur and maybe M&M World.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority doesn’t even make that much of an effort to lure families with children, focusing more on conferences, conventions, international tourists and business travelers.
Yet the city has a surprising amount of kid-friendly entertainment options: The “High Roller” Ferris wheel, an outdoor zipline at The Linq, the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the Hunger Games Experience at MGM Grand, a Marvel Avengers Museum,  immersive art experiences at Area 15 and colorful shows like Cirque de Soleil.
“I think it’s just the diversity and variety of things to do that you can’t find in any other destination and especially in such a compact area,” said Chuck Bowling, president of Mandalay Bay. 

Strollers on the strip. A parent pushes a child through a casino at Mandalay Bay.

The city is also a growing destination for sports. The NFL, in particular, has made a strong push into the city with the Raiders franchise playing at Allegiant Stadium, the NFL Draft later this month and the Super Bowl in 2024. The NHL’s Golden Knights sell out their hockey games with family friendly entertainment. There’s also the WNBA’s Aces. 
While families may help Vegas broaden its brand, not everyone is excited about the boom in young visitors. 
Vegas news and opinion blogger Scott Roeben urged his 100,000 Vital Vegas Twitter followers  to “stop bringing kids to Vegas.” 
“There’s kids asleep in their strollers day and night. And adult things are happening around them. And I just don’t think they need to be here,” Roeben told CNBC, saying he judges parents harshly for bringing children to Las Vegas. (Roeben is not a parent.)

“I’m an advocate for Las Vegas being for grown-ups and children to be everywhere else. Just make it this one place,” he said. “They should enjoy a stroll down Main Street at Disneyland or they should go step on Legos at Legoland –  they don’t they don’t need to be in Las Vegas.”
Not all destinations welcome children. Wynn Las Vegas gained a reputation in its early years for forbidding strollers on its marble pathways through the casino floors, though families now flood in for photos in front of the famous flower-covered carousel. 
Circa in downtown Las Vegas flat-out forbids anyone younger than 21 inside, even those accompanied by parents.  
“We gave up the family business, the bar mitzvah business, the wedding business to focus on customer service,” said Circa CEO and owner Derek Stevens. He said he draws more business by freeing patrons from repeatedly being asked to provide ID at the bars and gaming tables.
Tourism officials and casino executives insist they don’t want Las Vegas to become the next Orlando. 
“I don’t think we want to swing the pendulum that far, because we’re still an adult market. What happens here still stays here. We’re proud of that,” Mandalay Bay’s Bowling said.
Parents who bring their children here, however, said they understand Sin City has a seamier side.
Anto Ounanian shrugged off concerns over his two young children being exposed to the seamier side of the strip, including scantily clad showgirls, inebriated adults and the scent of pot smoke.
“That’s not much different from day-to-day life of Manhattan,” he said. 

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The wait time for a new Lamborghini SUV or super-car is now over 12 months, the automaker’s CEO told CNBC.
Prepandemic, the typical waiting time for Lamborghinis was six to nine months.
“We improved our production, so we believe we improved the output,” CEO Stephen Winkelmann said. “We will see. But this is an opportunity for sure.”

The wait time for a new Lamborghini SUV or super-car is now over 12 months, as demand from wealthy car lovers shows little sign of slowing, the automaker’s chief executive told CNBC on Wednesday.
Despite volatile stock markets and growing economic uncertainty, demand for Lamborghini’s is “as high as ever,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s CEO.

“It’s incredible,” Winkelmann said. “It’s difficult to make a forecast of what is going to happen and for the rest of the year 2022. But speaking to customers, speaking to all our leaders, we don’t see any any slowdown in terms of orders.”
The result is a waiting list that is now over 12 months. Prepandemic, the typical waiting list for Lamborghinis was six to nine months. Asked when or if the company’s waiting list will ever return to “normal,” Winkelmann said demand for high-end cars may have fundamentally reset to a higher level given the sheer amount of wealth created in the past two years.
“What we see is that around the world there are more and more people able to buy a car like ours,” he said. “After the pandemic, people wanted to reward themselves. And we have the markets which were flooded with money. I think we are in a very high plateau. I don’t know if this is the new normal.”
In addition, Lamborghinis have become a favorite for the young rich, who made their newly minted fortunes from crypto, stocks, tech companies and inheritances. Winkelmann said 70% of Lambo customers will be under 40 in 2025.
“We have definitely seen a shift toward a much younger customer,” he said.

Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini
Courtesy: Lamborghini

Lamborghini reported record profits and production last year driven largely by its SUV, the Urus. Sales increased 19% to $2.1 billion, and it delivered 8,405 cars, up 13% over 2020, including sales of 5,021 Urus models, 2,586 Huracans and 798 Aventadors.
Winkelmann said production this year has not been slowed by supply-chain issues, since the company gets high priority for chips and other parts from parent company Volkswagen. He said production this year is on track to be even higher than last year’s.
“We improved our production, so we believe we improved the output,” he said. “We will see. But this is an opportunity for sure.”
Because of the long wait times, some dealerships are charging customers five- and six-figure markups to get cars that are available sooner, either through other customer cancellations or demo models. One buyer told CNBC he paid $100,000 to get a Urus within a month, rather than wait.
Winkelmann said the company does its best to police pricing practices and prevent “phantom orders” from dealers. But with prices for many preowned Lambos now at 140% of the new sticker price, the profit temptation for dealers with cars available now remains strong.
“We don’t share this view of letting people pay over sticker,” he said. “When we talk to our partners, our dealers, we always are very clear about our position.”

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Israeli historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari says the growing risk that Russia may turn to nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to humanity.
“We are maybe in the most dangerous moment in world history since the Cuban missile crisis when a nuclear war is suddenly a possibility,” Harari told CNBC’s Geoff Cutmore Wednesday.
Still, Harari warned that it is not for Western allies to try to preempt such action by seeking regime change in Russia.

Israeli author, historian and professor Yuval Noah Harari has spoken out frequently against President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, adding that it has had the unintended consequence of forging greater unity between Europe and the U.S.
Kristof Van Accom | AFP | Getty Images

Seven weeks into Russia’s war with Ukraine, still escalating tensions position society at perhaps the “most dangerous moment in world history since the Cuban missile crisis,” according to Israeli historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari.
The “Sapiens” author said the growing risk that Russia may turn to nuclear weapons or other forms of chemical or biological warfare to advance its onslaught posed an existential threat to humanity.

“We are maybe in the most dangerous moment in world history since the Cuban missile crisis when a nuclear war is suddenly a possibility,” Harari told CNBC’s Geoff Cutmore Wednesday.
The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 refers to a period of direct conflict between the U.S. and the then-Soviet Union, often considered the closest the world has come to nuclear war.

Anybody who has these fantasies about marching to Moscow, forget about them as quickly as possible.

Yuval Noah Harari
historian, lecturer and author

While acknowledging the current threat of nuclear war is “not very likely,” Harari said that everybody — governments and individuals — should be “very concerned.”
“It’s a possibility, a real possibility that we need to consider. And that’s terrible news for the whole human race,” he said.
Still, Harari warned that it is not for Western allies to try to preempt such action by seeking regime change in Russia. Rather, they should focus on further empowering Ukraine to defeat Russian forces on the ground and restore peace.

“Anybody who has these fantasies about marching to Moscow, forget about them as quickly as possible,” he said, noting that such moves would further provoke the Kremlin.
“The aim of the war should be to protect the freedom of Ukraine, and not to change Moscow. This is up to the Russian people,” he added.

A historic turning point

Harari, a lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the ultimate outcome of the war could mark a decisive turning point in how governments manage future threats.
If Russian President Vladimir Putin wins the war, he said, more countries would be inclined — or forced — to increase their military spending to the detriment of other public services.
It is not clear how much Russia invests in its defense spending, though Harari put estimates at around 20%. Already, we have seen recent moves or commitments by governments to increase their defense spending. Just days into the conflict, Germany announced it would significantly increase its defense spending to more than 2% of its economic output.

If we are not careful we will slide back into the jungle of war and violence in which countries are forced to spend far more on tanks and missiles.

Yuval Noah Harari
historian, lecturer and author

“If defense budgets around the world would be 20% instead of 6%, that would come at the expense of our healthcare, of our welfare, and it would also come at the expense of fighting other dangers like climate change,” he said.
“This would be a terrible catastrophe for the whole of humanity,” he said, adding that a peaceful resolution is not just in the interests of Ukraine and its immediate neighbors, but wider society.
“It’s really about defending the peace and the kind of world we got used to,” he said. “We got so used to it that we take it for granted. But if we are not careful we will slide back into the jungle of war and violence in which countries are forced to spend far more on tanks and missiles and far less on teachers and nurses and welfare systems.”
Harari did, however, see some cause for cautious optimism if Western allies were to succeed in bringing about a peaceful end to the conflict.
“If Putin loses and is seen to lose, that will actually safeguard the previous order. When there is a norm and somebody violates the norm and is punished for that, then this actually strengthens the norm,” he said.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday advised investors to find stocks that can perform well in any market environment.
“This is a hyper-confusing moment, but I want you to search for stocks that can work long-term regardless of whether we’re in the best of times, the worst of times, or both,” the “Mad Money” host said.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday advised investors to find stocks that can perform well in any market environment.
“This is a hyper-confusing moment, but I want you to search for stocks that can work long-term regardless of whether we’re in the best of times, the worst of times, or both,” the “Mad Money” host said.

Cramer named several stocks that investors should consider. Procter & Gamble has a good “longer-term perspective,” while Disney stock could be good for investors bullish on travel, he said.
He added that investors wanting to capitalize on banks that will benefit from the Federal Reserve raising interest rates should look at Bank of America, while those worried that the Russia-Ukraine war will escalate should eye defense contractor Raytheon Technologies.
To exemplify the market’s current “best of times, worst of times” environment, Cramer pointed to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s comments in the company’s first-quarter earnings call. Dimon said he sees “significant geopolitical and economic challenges ahead due to high inflation, supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday that the company had the “highest sales in terms of bookings of any month” in company history in March, Cramer said.
As confusing as the companies’ contrasting messaging might be for investors, Cramer said that the differences in the companies’ performance can be attributed to the type of businesses they run.

“Bastian deals with the consumer. Dimon deals with the consumer, but also the enterprise. Consumers might be willing to spend like mad even in the face of a Fed-mandated slowdown, just because they’re so eager to get out again.” 
Disclosure: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Disney and Procter & Gamble.

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Starbucks’ campaign to dissuade baristas from unionizing could include extending new benefits exclusively to nonunion workers.
CEO Howard Schultz told U.S. store leaders this week that he is reviewing the coffee chain’s benefit program for its workers, but that it would be illegal to extend improved benefits unilaterally.

Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz speaks at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Seattle, Washington on March 22, 2017.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images

Starbucks’ campaign to dissuade baristas from unionizing could include extending new benefits exclusively to nonunion workers.
The company’s CEO, Howard Schultz, told U.S. store leaders this week that he is reviewing the coffee chain’s benefit program for its workers. However, employees who work at company-owned stores that voted to unionize would be ineligible for those improved benefits, Schultz said.

Schultz cited federal labor law and advice from the company’s legal counsel in saying it would be illegal to extend benefits unilaterally with unionized locations in the equation.
The Wall Street Journal first reported his comments.
Under federal labor law, employers have to bargain with the union that represents their workers when it comes to changes in compensation, benefits or other terms of their employment. But companies can still ask unionized employees if they want additional benefits.
U.S. airlines, for example, are highly unionized and have offered union employees bonuses or extra pay to help with staffing shortages, incentives that fall outside of regular contract negotiations.

Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told CNBC that Schultz and other company leaders will keep sharing key learnings from these employee listening sessions as they happen.

In late March, ahead of Schultz’s return to the company, Starbucks Workers United said it expected the company would announce new benefits to curb the union push spreading across Starbucks cafes. A representative for Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment at the time, but Schultz seemingly confirmed that strategy when he announced last week that he would suspend stock buybacks to invest back into the company’s workers and stores.
Roughly 200 of Starbucks’ company-owned locations have filed the paperwork to unionize in recent months. To date, 18 stores have voted to unionize under Workers United, with only one cafe so far voting against.
As the union push gains momentum, Workers United has alleged that the company has engaged in union-busting activity, including firing organizers, cutting barista hours at unionizing locations and other forms of retaliation. In March, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Starbucks, alleging that it violated federal labor law by firing organizers at a Phoenix location.
In his week and a half back at the helm of the company, Schultz has already been waging a more aggressive campaign against the union than previous CEO Kevin Johnson. Schultz has mentioned the union in public letters and speeches with workers, painting the push to organize as divisive and unnecessary.
“And while not all the partners supporting unionization are colluding with outside union forces, the critical point is that I do not believe conflict, division and dissension – which has been a focus of union organizing – benefits Starbucks or our partners,” he wrote in a letter to employees Sunday.
Shares of Starbucks closed up more than 1% on Wednesday alongside broader market gains. The company has a market value of roughly $93.3 billion.

— CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.

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The Biden administration is extending the transportation mask mandate for an additional 15 days.
The U.S. has repeatedly extended the mask mandate during the Covid pandemic.
Airlines have urged the Biden administration to drop the mandate and international travel rules.

The Biden administration is extending a mask mandate for airplanes and transit for 15 days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The mandate was set to expire after April 18, following a one-month extension announced in March. Airlines have required masks on planes since early in the Covid pandemic in 2020, but the Biden administration made them mandatory in early 2021.

The CDC said it is monitoring the spread of omicron, including the BA.2 subvariant.
“Since early April, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of cases in the U.S. In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC Order will remain in place at this time,” the CDC said in a statement.
It said the mandate will stay in effect through May 3.
Airlines have repeatedly asked the administration to drop that requirement as well as other Covid restrictions such as predeparture testing for all international arrivals, including citizens.

The CDC last month said it would work with other government agencies to determine “when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.”
The extensions to the mask mandate have become shorter, however, as the administration weighs the risks of Covid spread. A decline in cases from a peak this winter helped fuel a surge in travel demand that is so strong, it is helping airlines cover much of their soaring fuel bills.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

It’s that time again! “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he’s giving his answers to callers’ stock questions at rapid speed.

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Rocket Companies Inc: “It’s such a good company, but when rates go up, it does poorly. And the Fed wants housing to slow. So therefore, their business is going to slow, too. Too soon to buy.”

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Garmin Ltd: “It’s fabulous. … I think their stock is great.”

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Mosaic Co: “I think Agco is cheaper, and I think Deere is better, and I want you on one of those two.”

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Kia on Wednesday unveiled its new lineup of Niro hybrid and EV crossovers as well as updates to its extremely popular Telluride SUV.
The Telluride has been a surprise sales success for the company, while the new Niro models come amid high gas prices and increased interest in electric vehicles.

2023 Kia Telluride

Kia on Wednesday unveiled its new lineup of Niro hybrid and EV crossovers as well as updates to its extremely popular Telluride SUV.
Both nameplates are important to the automaker in different ways. The Telluride has been a surprise sales success for the company, while the new Niro models come as consumers are being squeezed by high gas prices and are increasingly interested in electric vehicles.

The Niro lineup includes all-electric, plug-in hybrid and traditional hybrid variants, all of which have been redesigned for the second generation of the vehicles. They include updated designs as well as additional safety and convenience features, including an available 10.25-inch control and information screens for drivers.
“Kia’s electrified vehicle momentum continues with the launch of the all-new second-generation Niro, which offers more refinement, versatility, connectivity, and technology than ever,” said Kia America COO Steven Center in a statement. “The 2023 Niro was designed for today’s needs and for sustainable future mobility.”

 2023 Kia Niro

The Niro hybrid is expected to achieve 53 mpg combined and an estimated driving range of 588 miles. However, the Niro EV remains below other competitors with a targeted electric range of 253 miles, while other automakers are offering vehicles with ranges of more than 300 miles.
The redesigned models could provide a boost for the Niro’s sales, which were less than 26,200 units in 2021. That compares to the Telluride’s 93,705 units last year.
The Telluride SUV has been a standout success for Kia since the midsize SUV went into production at a plant in Georgia in early 2019. It has been among the most in-demand vehicles in the U.S. auto industry because of its affordability and features.

2023 Kia Niro EV

The 2023 Telluride increases those offerings, including additional safety and convenience features, a redesigned interior and updated exterior. Kia also announced two new off-road-inspired models for the 2023 model year.
The updated Telluride is expected to go on sale near the end of the third quarter. The redesigned Niro models will go on sale this summer.
Kia said it will announce pricing for the vehicles closer to when they go on sale. Both were unveiled Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show.

2023 Kia Telluride SUV

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