Vegas Visitation Slips 4.3% in August as Soaring Flight Costs Take a Toll

_{Visitation fell in August while flights to Las Vegas were up 41.4% from last year. (Photo: Ceri Breeze / Alamy)}

Las Vegas visitation fell 4.3% in August, as higher airfares and a lighter event calendar gave travelers fewer reasons to visit, according to new data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. While gaming revenue was mixed across town, statewide gaming revenue rose a solid 3.14%.

About 3 million people visited the city during the month, while passenger traffic at Harry Reid International Airport fell by 9.2%. The city's tourism slowdown clearly extended beyond the airports, since hotel occupancy and room rates also reached their lowest levels of the year.

Gaming revenue was up, with Nevada casinos generating $1.27 billion in August, up 3.14% from a year earlier. Strip casinos were up a smidge, downtown fell, and the Boulder Strip area (including Henderson) saw a big jump in gaming revenue.

Labor Day weekend, falling in September, and a lighter event calendar hurt visitation. The ongoing fight to find value in Las Vegas isn't the only problem. Flights are much more expensive than a year ago.

Flights to Vegas Are Skyrocketing

During a keynote discussion at the Global Gaming Expo, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg mentioned airfares to Las Vegas have risen since Spirit Airlines went out of business in May. While there's plenty of noise about international visitors skipping Las Vegas, Harry Reid data show domestic passengers were down 10.2% in August and down 7.2% year-to-date.

International passengers rose 3.9% in August but are down 7.1% for the year, nearly matching the drop in domestic travel.

Airfares have climbed sharply from last year. According to KAYAK's airfare trends, the average cost of a domestic flight to Las Vegas in August was $362, a 41.4% increase last year. That's a bigger jump than the national average, which is up 34.1%.

Visitors can find savings on their stays through promotions like the Fabulous Five-Day Sale and all-inclusive packages, and on food and drink through special menus and happy hours. But those deals only cushion the overall cost of a 2026 Vegas vacation.

Hotels Feel Brunt of the Dip

About 3 million people visited Las Vegas in August, down 4.3% from a year earlier. Through August, visitation was nearly flat, down 0.1%, or about 23,000 visitors.

Convention attendance bucked the trend, up 6% for the month and 10.5% for the year.

Hotel room occupancy and room rates fell to their lowest of the year. Citywide occupancy was 74.1%, down 3.4 percentage points from last year. The average room rate for the month was $150.32, down 7.4%.

Downtown Vegas hotels were hit the hardest in August, just like in July. Just 53% of downtown rooms were occupied, down 9.2%. The average rate was $85.68, 5% lower than last year.

Strip room rates averaged $153.10, down 11.4%. Occupancy was 77%, down just 4%.

Baccarat Fuels Strip While Slots Help Surrounding Areas

Nevada gaming revenue was up 3.14% to $1.27 billion in August. Strip casinos saw a modest 0.7% improvement from last year. Downtown casinos generated 2.96% less revenue, while the Boulder Strip area saw a huge 17.38% increase. Casinos on the outskirts of town, like Durango, saw revenue climb 7.44%.

Overall revenue varied around town, and so did the games that brought in more or less than last year.

Baccarat often drives the Strip's gaming revenue, and August was no exception. Baccarat revenue rose 34.13%. Despite this increase, table games were only up 0.46%. Slots gained just 0.9%.

Downtown's table game revenue fared much worse. Every table game posted a year-over-year decline, with revenue down 29.55% overall. A 15.49% increase from slots helped the area fall by only 2.96%.

A 20.37% jump in slot revenue helped the Boulder Strip area overcome a 5.66% decrease from table games.

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