According to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data, the first four months of this year showed a decrease in the overall number of visitors. Mark Wayman, a recruiter for executives in the gaming and casino industries, told Business Insider in May that Las Vegas bookings through the summer are “the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Air traffic into Harry Reid International Airport is also trending downward, as domestic travel for the first half of 2025 was down 4% compared to last year.
Alternate link: https://archive.ph/z9oWV
Yeah that happens when you take away people’s financial stability and/or money in general. No one plans to spend it they plan to save it.
Don’t forget the collapse of international tourism as well. It’s a double whammy.
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When wil they realize “blue strong hold” is just another term for city.
But also the freedom of online gambling probably contributed more. I could spend $1k on hotels, food, and travel just got get to vegas to blow away $500. Or I can buy a few pizzas, gather friends to my home, go out to dinner with them, sleep in my own bed, and spin the lottery machine arm on my phone and save most of my money instead?
I don’t think the gambling was the draw for the majority of tourists. It was a factor but they went for the entirety of activities according to the last data I saw on it. It was a destination and not just a gambling venue.
I don’t do online gambling, so maybe I am missing an important detail here, but there’s no recent development that would explain why online gambling would have an effect now, and not a year ago, or even 15 years ago.
13.2% fewer international travelers visited Las Vegas in June compared to last year.
I’m surprised it only declined that much…
I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas wasn’t a huge international destination except for the super rich. It’s a really long way to go to gamble, and there’s a good or better attractions in other US cities.
So many states have legalized gambling and Indian casinos exist that Vegas makes zero sense anymore, unless women lose more rights and have to get divorced there or whatever.
You can gamble in California, but many cities will limit how many poker tables a casino might have. So enjoy your long wait times on weekends
13% fewer international travelers, potentially (but unlikely) larger number in total
We were in Las Vegas a couple of months ago and the prices were beyond belief. Two pastries and a bottle of water at the Bellagio were $27. Ferris wheel tickets were $30 each. A movie at the Sphere was $95. The food, even at highly rated restaurants wasn’t all that good while still being very expensive. We’re happy to spend more while on vacation, but there is no way this place is worth anywhere near what they are charging.
Las Vegas is now a prime example of enshittification. The Bellagio’s fountain show has been shortened to 6 minutes and is a shadow of the previously impressive show. They’ve removed the lighting from their famous Chihuli glass ceiling. The city and the hotels have removed all public seating so you can’t just wander around without spending hours on your feet or visiting one of those expensive, mediocre restaurants. (The Venetian was a welcome exception to this.)
Las Vegas used to be a fun place to do a bit of gambling while enjoying lots of other activities without being fleeced. Not anymore.
That didn’t happen in 4 months though. I wonder what changed, hmmmm.
That didn’t happen in 4 months though.
I think a tipping point has been reached.
Really? There couldn’t be any other reasons?
Why don’t you enlighten us with your insight?
International tourism
Not surprised given how Vegas has evolved in the last 10-15 years. Most of the casinos are run by MGM or Caesars so there is zero incentive to compete any more. It’s all expensive - the rooms, the meals, the shows. They slap bullshit like “resort fees” on everything. The comps / drinks are minimal. The table limits are ridiculous. Most of the public attractions are shut down or dialed back. The public transport is abysmal. Oh and Donald Trump has basically told the world that tourists aren’t welcome any more. I’m surprised anybody bothers going there any more quite frankly.
Vegas fucking sucks though, honestly.
Boomers and giant corporations: That’s weird. We’ve been hoovering up real estate and jacking up prices on rent and food, but our entertainment/tourism portfolios are now underperforming… Damn millennials, killing off all the industries!
Plus you know the whole if you’re from a foreign country they’ll arrest you and throw you in a concentration camp.
This, and fuck giving the US any more money than strictly necessary.
Hmm, I can’t think of anything in the US that may be affecting tourism right now. Anyone else drawing a blank?
Most Canadians are actively boycotting the US because of the felon president who keeps opening his yap about the 51st state.
Not only that but you could wind up in a concentration camp as several people already have from Canada and the EU.
Canadians visits are down by 50+ points.
Not sure why it’s not 95+.This is what Vegas looked like 6 years ago, when I decided I would never go again, at least not to the strip. Wall-to-wall fucking people on every square inch. You used to get comped things to encourage you to gamble. Those days are past. Now, you can’t even park in the hotel garage at the hotel you are staying at without paying extra.
It is so tedious to listen to complaints about the “worst ever” anything when it represents a 4% fluctuation in a trend that has positively RUINED Vegas as a destination due to constant double-digit year-over-year gains.
They’re also replacing table games with slots and even making craps and roulette better for the casinos.
I didn’t want to go to Vegas before, but now? Never.
It’s gambling in airconditioned shitty hotels, a miracle anyone wants to go in the first place.
Right now they’re trying to bulldoze Coney Island, aka “The People’s Playground” and a historic icon, to replace it with a shitty casino. No one wants it, but the money must flow. The parent corp is paying off people and using shitty tactics to try to fake support for it, but they’ve also pissed off a massive community of artists and activists who have been fighting tooth and nail against it.
We already lost the streets. The city gave them to a greedy corporation that has bought and ruined multiple historic buildings over the last two decades. Eric Adams has a hand in all of this.
Below is their plan. See the little building circled in red? That’s home to a museum, a theater, a cultural pillar and events organizer, and the last permanently housed circus sideshow in quite possibly the world. It’s got historic protected status. They’re trying to engulf us.
If you’ve read this far, please spread the word. This is my performance home. If you live near NY, sign the petition
They’re gonna build over it? That’s whack. Is that allowed?
Yeah, I have always been puzzled by the fact that so many people seem to actively desire to spend their time (and not least money) in that place.
Vegas is an entirely man made vacation destination, there is no natural reason to visit. It used to be that only Nevada and New Jersey had gambling but now you find gambling towns everywhere.
Maybe they should advertise doing drugs in the desert
I visited Vegas last year. Regardless of any sort of economical or political issues, it was some of the most miserable heat I’ve ever experienced. Standing outside for only a few minutes exhausted me.
That’s why you should stay inside where there’s AC. Preferably by a slots machine.
The heat? Having lived there years ago, it wasn’t the heat, it was the fucking stink of the strip that turned me off.
I think this has less to do with prices or quality and more to do with a reduction in international tourism across the board.
I personally believe its gambling from your phone that did the most damage
Just went to Vegas for the first time in a decade, it’s painful how expensive it’s gotten. A single G&T cost 20 bucks.
