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Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 | 1:10 p.m.
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A downward trend in the number of visitors to Las Vegas showed signs of easing in July.
The number of visitors to Las Vegas in July dropped 1.3 percent compared to July 2008, according to numbers released today by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That's the smallest year-over-year decline in 2009.
The LVCVA said 3,181,139 people visited the city in July, which is down from 3,222,456 a year earlier. Hotel occupancy dropped 3 percent during that time, from 87.2 percent to 84.2 percent.
The average daily room rate tumbled 18.6 percent, from $105.97 in July 2008 to $85.23 this past July, the LVCVA reported. Total occupied room nights held steady at more than 3.6 million, which is a drop of only 0.2 percent compared to last year.
The number of meetings in Las Vegas was nearly identical, at 1,317 last year and 1,316 this year in July. The number of people attending those meetings was down 5.5 percent.
Passenger traffic at McCarran International Airport was down 9.3 percent, but vehicle traffic on Interstate 15 at the Nevada/California line was up 8 percent.
Visitor volume to Laughlin dropped 2.3 percent from July 2008 to July 2009, although the number of visitors plunged 28 percent in Mesquite.
The rate of decline may be slowing, but that doesn't mean the tourists who are coming are spending as much. The hotels are in a price-cutting war to put "heads in the beds" but, in too many of these properties, those "heads" are not spending like they used to, either on the casino floor or in the restaurants/retail areas. Be careful about reading too much into the "second derivative" (a decline in the rate of decline).
Let's compare month to month instead of year to year - that's the real story..the fact is it's still dropping no matter what "spin" you put on it.
Of course the decline is slowing. Now a year ago numbers are when gasoline was $4.50 a gallon and air fare was rising with ticket prices. When you compare this year to a disaster year the decline will be smaller. That doesn't mean there are more visitors.
Try comparing it to 2 years ago.
It's called how to lie with statistics... everybody does it
WHY SHOULD THEY COME TO VEGAS?
INDIAN CASINO'S ON EVERY OTHER CORNER.
JUST LIKE GAS STATIONS.
people are still coming, quit being so bleak. This is a two-year recovery, if you're a hater, move
does anyone travel anymore? try staying in san fran or new york. your hotels/city have such amazing shopping/ restaurants and great rooms all on the cheap (comparatively speaking). geez you'd have to have won the lottery to get a bellagio room in beverly hills, and the awe inspiring beauty of the atrium and chiluly glass is all free--nothing compares to being a tourist there and seeing it all. i promise people will be back, they'll gamble eat amazing food, not 2.99 buffets but quality can still mean value.
The Indian Casinos are really hurting Vegas. The Comps are better than Vegas casinos. We get as much as $60.00 each on each visit. Vegas is not as gaming oriented as it was in the past. They stress food, family, entertainment way to much.
"yeah, people are coming but they're not spending", "It's dropping", shut up. In the overall picture Las Vegas, as a destination, isn't fairing too bad. The pessimistic reports, panic, and well lets be real, RHETORIC, need to be put into perspective. Las Vegas Has experienced exponential growth in visitors, profits, and overall revenue that was generated since 2002. If purveyors of these resorts, casinos, travel organizations what have you, did not plan for a rainy day well then there's a fundamental problem. Now that the "BOOM" has leveled out and reset itself to levels of only a few years back, a panic ensues. All these corporations who over extended themselves building the next mega-resort are the equivalent of the irresponsible end of the Las Vegas housing bubble bursting. Now the state is leaving virtually no stone unturned looking for money to cover it's deficit, and casinos are broke?...because "NOBODY IS SPENDING MONEY"?
I told that bum on the street asking for change I was broke too...guess what? (shh..I WASN'T!)