Tourism along the Mississippi River took a hit this week as the river rose to near-record levels threatening several major tourist destinations and forcing one festival to head to higher ground.

Major flooding has already forced the indefinite closures of nine riverfront casinos in Tunica, Mississippi. The closures have displaced around 10,000 workers in the Mississippi Delta community and cost Tunica millions.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission closed the casinos as a precautionary measure. Around 5,000 hotel rooms have also been shut down.

Elsewhere in the Mississippi, the Conventions and Visitor’s Bureaus in Natchez, Greenville and Vicksburg are struggling to keep their bluff-top locations and businesses high and dry.

However, Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, projected on Wednesday that rising river levels would shut down casinos in those cities as well.

Mississippi River casinos, which span from Tunica to Natchez, earned about $115 million in revenues last month alone, and earned the state of Mississippi $25 million in tax dollars.

Rising waters have also sent a barbecue festival fleeing from the rising waters. Memphis’ World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest was slated to be held riverside. Now barbecue lovers will have to enjoy their meals in a new location.

Meanwhile, visitors bound for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby are expecting a soggy racing day with afternoon thunderstorms.

By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related Links: USA Today, USA Today Dispatches

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