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
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.
Went there for a baseball tournament. What a shit show A 20oz can of beer was $19. Margarita $35…Not surprised in the least that place is dying. Felt like they’re trying to make everything ‘new york’ exclusive with prices to match. Dumb place.
Pretty sure this is almost entirely about current US government. I seriously considered touring US this year, but for obvious reasons I feel safer travelling to China.
Trump is certainly a major contributor to the malaise - I bet visitors from Canada have fallen off a cliff and Europeans can’t be far behind. But even domestic visitors must be wondering wtf is going on with the place. It’s just so expensive and a rip off. There are even videos gone up on YouTube in the last few days by dedicated Vegas resident bloggers listing the ways they’re fucking over visitors - parking fees, resort fees, 000 roulette, 6:5 blackjack payouts, high table limits, etc. Some even say don’t bother until casinos read the room and start offering value again. Personally I don’t think MGM & Caesars are capable of it, but maybe some of the smaller off-strip casinos can do it - free parking, low table limits, buffets, cheap shows - the things that pull in customers. I doubt it will help with international visitor numbers but the smaller casinos probably rely on domestic visitors anyway and if they can attract them back then that’s something.