Las Vegas Visitors Down But Gaming Revenue Sees Marginal Gains
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has published its 2025 tourism figures update.
The report shows mixed results for Sin City’s tourism industry.
Visitor numbers declined a worrying 7%, with visitors taking shorter stays and spending less on dining and shopping.
Meanwhile, expenditure on entertainment and sporting events was up, while the city’s casinos managed to increase visitor numbers by posting a 1% year-on-year increase in gambling revenue.
Visitor Numbers Down
According to the LVCVA, the city attracted 38.5million visitors last year, down 7.5% from the previous year.
Despite this drop, the gambling industry, which is heavily reliant on outside visitors, did well to secure a 1% increase in revenue for the period.
Average gambling expenditure per visitor showed even more impressive gains. Visitors spent an average of $848.95 on gambling activities – an increase of 3.5% from the year before.
Expenditure on sports events increased, but only one in 20 visitors attended an event, suggesting its influence on overall tourism remains minimal.
Entertainment spending also increased.
The city’s casinos have a storied history of providing access to some of the world’s biggest and most famous acts and last year’s significant residencies included the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Eagles, Mary J. Blige and Rod Stewart. Dolly Parton was due to perform, but postponed her appearances until this year.
"The LVCVA’s findings bear this out. While an impressive 87% of survey respondents said they were “very satisfied” with their visit to Sin City, 22% complained about surging prices."
Despite some bright spots, the decline in visitor numbers is concerning. Various reasons have been given for the decline, including geopolitical tensions between the US and Canada.
Canada accounts for around a quarter of all visitors to the city, but numbers declined after President Donald Trump mooted the idea of making Canada the 51st State. Canadians reacted angrily and, seemingly, took their business elsewhere.
Casinos in the city have tried to rectify the situation, putting on a charm offensive while offering an at-par exchange rate.
Meanwhile, the LVCVA has dedicated $3.5m to a marketing and promotion package specifically targeting Canadians.
The package will be used to launch multi-channel marketing campaigns across the border and will coincide with initiatives including bundled travel packages.
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Huge Cost Increases Blamed
Another oft-cited cause of visitor declines is price. Hotel prices have increased and the venues have started incorporating additional fees for services that were previously free.
Other costs, such as dining and entertainment ticket prices, have also shot up in price.
The LVCVA’s findings bear this out. While an impressive 87% of survey respondents said they were “very satisfied” with their visit to Sin City, 22% complained about surging prices.
This is considerably higher than the 14% that raised the same concerns back in 2022.
Some venues have listened to complaints.
Caesars is offering up to 40% off rooms. “Shame on us,” MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle said, when talking about heavily criticized summer prices, before going on to say, “We should have been more sensitive to the overall experience at a place like Excalibur.
“You can't have a $29 room and a $12 coffee. We lost control of the narrative over the summer. I think we would all agree to that in hindsight.”
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