Las Vegas sees first monthly visitor increase since May 2008

By Amanda Finnegan

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 | 12:49 p.m.

Las Vegas saw some signs of relief during the month of September as the city recorded its first year-over-year increase in visitor volume since May 2008, according to numbers released today.

The number of visitors during the month of September increased 4.3 percent from about 2.9 million visitors in September 2008 to more than 3 million in September 2009, according to a report released by the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority.

Citywide hotel occupancy fell 1.1 percentage points to 83.2 percent in September 2009 from 84.3 percent in September 2008. That number is the smallest year-over-year decline in citywide occupancy since February 2008.

September also saw a year-over-year increase in weekend occupancy for the third time in 2009. Weekend occupancy rose 3.1 percentage points from 88.4 percent in September 2008 to 91.5 percent in September 2009.

Both gaming revenues and average daily room rates saw declines during the month of September compared to last year. Average room rates tumbled 19 percent from $112.58 in September 2008 to $91.18 this past September. Gaming revenue fell 9.3 percent from $855 million to $774 million during the year-over-year period.

Convention attendance was up 12.2 percent for the month as larger conventions like MAGIC and the World Market Center’s fall show took place during the month of September, the LVCVA said. The spike is the first year-over-year increase in convention attendance since July 2008.

Passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport was down 1.2 percent, but vehicle traffic on Interstate 15 at the Nevada/California line was up 9.9 percent.

Visitor volume to Laughlin dropped 3.1 percent from September 2008 to September 2009 while the number of visitors increased 0.7 percent in Mesquite.