tourism:
Holiday weekend: Steady visitors but lower spending
Friday, July 3, 2009 | 11:35 a.m.
Related Story
Sun Coverage
While slightly fewer Americans will be traveling this Fourth of July weekend compared to last year, Las Vegas tourism officials expect to see steady numbers this weekend.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting 284,000 visitors during the holiday weekend, which is no change from 2008.
But consumers likely will be spending less money this year, the LVCVA is predicting. LVCVA spokesman Jeremy Handel said non-gaming spending is expected to be off 10 percent from 2008.
Hotel occupancy in the city is expected to be at 90 percent, Handel said -- off 2.3 percent from last year. The decline in occupancy with the same number of visitors is attributed to an increase in the city’s room count, which is up 3 percent from July 4, 2008.
Local authorities said they'll be on the lookout for impaired drivers this weekend.
The Nevada Highway Patrol and Henderson Police kicked off their holiday DUI enforcement Thursday and will continue through until 4 a.m. Sunday. Areas of emphasis will include Interstate 15 and U.S. 95, authorities said.
A report from AAA this week noted the organization expects 37.1 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more this Fourth of July weekend, a 1.9 percent decline from 2008.
AAA is attributing this year's decline in leisure travel to economic uncertainties. The recent rise in gas prices may also be causing travelers to limit or shorten their travel plans, AAA said.
Although air travel likely will account for only 5 percent of holiday weekend travel, AAA said, air travel will see a 4.9 percent increase because of declining airfares. Two million trips nationwide are expected by air during the weekend.
Discussion: 3 comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
Post a comment
Spotlight
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to close in May
- Pricey land buy on Strip a bit of a surprise
- Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam
- Harry Reid’s co-writer unloads while discussing polls, Obama quote
- Police: Legal runner returned to home, shot husband and wife
- Grim numbers show Nevada leads nation in suicides over 60
- The 10 best steakhouses in Las Vegas
- UNLV back in the polls: No. 23 in AP, No. 25 in ESPN/USA Today
- MGM Mirage to leave N.J. in dispute over Macau partner
- GOP should blame itself for deficit, not Democrats
Blogs
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Miners sue to block mining tax initiative (3 Comments)
Shark Bytes
Willis reminds me of another great UNLV guard (5 Comments)
Elsewhere
With aggressive push, Internet gambling again in play
The Kats Report
A very quick list of which females could replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith (18 Comments)
A 3.5-day sprint, highlighted superflously at Flamingo with Las Vegas newcomers
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Horsford: No taxes now, but tax reform later (14 Comments)
Gibbons: Cutting the budget can help me raise money (12 Comments)
Calendar »
- 10 Wed
- 11 Thu
- 12 Fri
- 13 Sat
- 14 Sun
-
Harlem Globetrotters at The Orleans Arena
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
House of Lounge giveaway at Wasted Space
Wasted Space | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Rakim at LAX
LAX Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Gilley's Casting Call at Treasure Island
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
-
Freddy B and Mike Remedy at Blush
Blush Boutique Nightclub | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Blushing at Blue Martini
Blue Martini | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati




















This will be a good money making weekend for Las Vegas. Keep them coming!
How do you know how much money people are spending before they even get here?
I was wondering the same thing...perhaps they fill out surveys on the plane and exiting the I-15