Las Vegas Tourism Changes: Cheaper Areas Boom Despite Fewer Visitors

Las Vegas tourism saw an 11.3% decline in June, with just over 3 million visitors reported. Despite the dip, industry experts and property owners stress that the situation is less dire than headlines suggest. “‘Dead' is, I think, much more of an exaggeration. I think we're taking like a 45-minute nap here,” Dr. Amanda Belarmino of UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hospitality explains to FOX5.

Belarmino added perspective on the numbers. “Three million [visitors] in June is still a lot of people. It's more than the population of Rome or Paris, and as a comparison, the Grand Canyon, which is one of the most visited national parks, has about 4.3 million people a year,” she said.

The slowdown has been attributed to several factors, including a nationwide decline in domestic travel, a slow recovery from the pandemic among Asian and Canadian tourists, seasonal summer trends, and the absence of large conventions following recent elections. While the Strip reported only a 0.9% increase in gaming revenue, budget-friendly areas posted substantial gains, with Downtown Las Vegas up 10.5% and Boulder Highway rising 19.3%.

“Overall revenue has been good for pretty much all the [sportsbooks] in Nevada,” Stevens told FOX5 about gaming during a one-on-one interview in July. Attractive packages like Circa's “All In” deal continue to draw budget-conscious visitors.

Visitor sensitivity to rising fees remains an issue. “We know that there's been a lot of pushback against resort fees in the last few years, and we continue to charge those. Parking fees are also something that can sometimes be a hot-button issue for guests. I think we're really feeling a little bit of that price sensitivity that we didn't see right after COVID because people had that pent-up demand,” Dr. Belarmino said.

Off-Strip areas such as Chinatown are also seeing strong turnout. “I think we offer affordable prices, more than the Strip,” said Chef “Tomo,” the head chef and manager of Chamon. “And also — very authentic-style Japanese tempura,” he said, noting Americans who have been to Japan often seek out authentic cuisine in the U.S.