Is Everyone Leaving LAS VEGAS Nevada
Is Las Vegas losing its sparkle or are people actually leaving in droves? What’s really happening NOW: Is the city hollowing out, or just evolving?”
Have you noticed fewer people or empty casinos on the Strip lately or is it just rumors and horror stories online?”
Tourism Factor #1: Visitor Numbers Dive
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed lately is that visitor numbers really are down here in Las Vegas. I was reading the Las Vegas Sun and said we have a 6.5% drop year over year compared to last year, and we locals can feel it. My husband and I went to dinner at the Bellagio last Thursday night, and it wasn’t packed shoulder to shoulder like it usually is. We were at the M Resort on Saturday, and it seemed very slow for a weekend night specifically since there was a Raiders game that evening. You know how Vegas usually has that buzz, that energy, where you can almost feel the crowds around you? Lately, it’s been quieter. Not dead, but definitely different.
Some of it makes sense. McCarran (well, Harry Reid International airport) reported passenger traffic down about 3 to 4% and according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, hotel occupancy in July was only about 66 to 67%. That’s a steep drop compared to where we’ve been in past years. I was chatting with a past client of mine, Tony who is a bartender on the strip and he mentioned he’s seeing fewer of the overseas tourists who used to come in big groups and splurge on bottle service. For people who work on the Strip, that kind of shift is felt immediately.
Now, the other thing to keep in mind is the timing. These numbers reflect summer months, which are always tough with our summer heat. It is hot here with temperatures sometime exceeding 110 degrees! That does keep some visitors away so it could partly be seasonal. Summer has always been slower, but this year the drop feels sharper. Maybe it’s a blip, maybe it’s part of a bigger trend. We’ll have to see if fall picks up again.
Tourism Factor #2: Shockingly High Prices
Another big factor how expensive everything on the strip has gotten. Prices are a little crazy. I mean, I’ve lived here for years, and I had to laugh when I saw someone post on Facebook about a $9 coffee and a $33 bagel on the Strip. I was at a real estate convention recently and bought bottled water on one of the breaks. It was $20! Prices have definitely gone up for basic items on the strip!
I was chatting with a couple from Chicago who came into town to look at homes and were staying at one of the newer resorts, and they said the add on charges were what frustrated them the most. Resort fees, parking and even early check-in fees. They planned to come and gamble but didn’t realize how much everything would add to the trip cost!
And as locals, we feel it too. Every year our team has a holiday lunch and for the last couple of years we’ve gone to Hell’s Kitchen. Last year, valet to park for lunch was $40. We all kind of laughed about it like and we ended up carpooling, so everyone didn’t pay that just to park for lunch! If we, as locals, are noticing it, I am sure visitors feel it too!
Tourism Factor #3: International Travel Takes a Hit
One of the main reasons we are seeing the slow done is the drop in international travelers. For years, Canadian visitors made up a big part of the visitors to Las Vegas sometimes close to 30%! But recently, according to a recent article in the New York Post, those numbers are way down, anywhere from 20% to over 50% fewer Canadians coming to town compared to last year. You can always tell when the Canadian crowd is here. They’re some of the friendliest visitors you’ll meet. We had a great time at one of the hockey games against Winnipeg Jets. It was a fun time, and we enjoyed games talking with several Canadian couples in town! I do see that slowing and I recently just closed escrow on a home and the clients moved out of town back to Canada.
It’s not just Canada, either. International travel in general has taken a big hit. Add to that the uncertainty with changing travel policies and some rough exchange rates, and it’s easy to see why people are hesitating.
International visitors are a big part of our Las Vegas visitors. The international visitors coming here ready to shop, dine, and experience everything the city has to offer. At the beginning of the year, I was at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace shopping at the Vuori store, and I couldn’t help but notice the international shoppers around me, especially a group from Asia. They had bags and bags from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and some of the other high-end stores. You could tell they were spending thousands and thousands of dollars in just one afternoon.
Tourism Factor #4: The Economic Ripple Effect
When visitor numbers dip, it’s not just empty hotel rooms. It impacts all of us locals, it’s servers, bartenders, dealers, tour guides, and all the tipped workers who rely on that constant flow of tourism. Fewer visitors mean fewer tables, smaller bills, and in turn, much smaller tips.
Now, to be fair, this has only been happening recently over the past couple of months. One of our friends, Brian, is pretty high up at the Palm’s casino. He is taking his vacation now since the casino is slow. Vegas has always had ups and downs and that’s nothing new. For those of us who live here, it’s something we’re keeping an eye on.
Tourism Factor #5: Reinvention, Not Abandonment
Now, before we get too gloomy, there is some good news because while Strip traffic has dipped, downtown and Fremont Street are seeing an increase. Visitor numbers there are up around 6%, and it makes sense. Fremont Street is way more affordable, you don’t have the crazy resort fees, and the vibe is still very “Vegas” but in a different, more laid-back way. I was down there earlier this summer with some friends, and it felt packed.
Vegas is also becoming more than just casinos. Sports are a huge draw now, we’ve got the Raiders, the Vegas Golden Knights Hockey, and soon we’ll even have Major League Baseball with the A’s moving here. My husband is so excited about that new stadium he’s already talking about which games he wants to go to, and we’re even keeping our eyes open for season tickets.
The Allegiant Stadium hosts concerts and events almost every weekend. The sphere brings in crowds with their concerts that are unlike anything you every experienced! We have new things happening too like the Universal Horror Unleashed that is opening, which is going to bring a whole new wave of immersive attraction seekers. We plan to check it out too! Add in the conventions that keep rolling through, and you can see the city is really working to diversify what it offers.
That’s a reminder that Vegas is resilient. We have always found ways to reinvent when things shift. As a local, I think that’s what gives us hope. We might be worried about the dip right now, but we’ve seen Vegas bounce back before, and it usually comes back stronger.
So is everyone leaving Las Vegas? Not quite—but the city is definitely going through a shift. Tourism numbers are down, prices are up, and the types of visitors are changing.
