Summer in Las Vegas is traditionally less crowded than during the tourist high seasons of spring and fall, when visitors flock to the Mojave Desert to enjoy a friendlier climate, gambling, food and drink, shows, and everything else this amazing city is famous for.
But even during summer, ‘less crowded’ is a relative term in Sin City, which is one of the busiest and liveliest places in the world year-round. This hasn’t been the case in recent months, as considerably fewer visitors have been coming to Las Vegas in Summer 2025.
According to reports published by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority (LVCVA), June visitor volume to the city dropped by more than 11% year on year. 3.4 million tourists came to Las Vegas in June 2024 compared to 3 million in 2025. If the decline continues at a similar rate, over one million fewer people will visit the city this summer.
We sent Ziv Chen, a long-time gambling journalist, contributor to Covers.com and gaming industry expert with over two decades of experience, to find out more about what’s going on in Las Vegas this summer and how the city is dealing with the decline in visitor numbers.
For starters, tourism is obviously big for Las Vegas’s economy, but how big is it actually?
Ziv Chen: Right off the bat, you started with a seemingly obvious, but tricky question (so I’m guessing this isn’t going to get any easier). As expected, the tourism industry is huge, but it’s not as big as most people expect as a portion of the overall economy. In 2024, Southern Nevada's tourism industry generated just over $55 billion in aggregate visitor spending, accounting for 31% of the region’s $178 billion GDP.
Does this number include gaming?
ZC: Yes, it does. This is what visitors spend on casinos, hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc. But then there’s more. Another $12 billion is spent by suppliers and vendors that are supported by visitor spending (indirect impacts), and an additional $20 billion spend by local employees that are directly supported by visitor spending (induced impacts). So if you add the numbers, you’ll get to a total of $87 billion that is generated for directly and indirectly by visitor spending, which translates to over 49% of Southern Nevada’s GDP.
So half of Las Vegas’s economy is driven by tourist spending?
ZC: That would be more than half. These numbers include Southern Nevada, which includes Clark County (the Las Vegas Metropolitan area), and four more counties. So, if you’re breaking down the numbers, I’d say Las Vegas’s economy is a lot more reliant on tourism. Clark County’s entire population is 2.4 million locals, and it hosted over 41 million tourists in 2024 (and 19 million for the first half of 2025). That must be a lot more than half.
How does it translate to jobs?
ZC: When you look at jobs, you need to consider again the direct and indirect outcomes. Last year, tourist spending created 252,610 jobs directly. That’s jobs in casinos, hotels, restaurants, shopping outlets, etc. Then, you had 48,380 jobs with vendors and suppliers (e.g., food delivery services, laundry, construction, admin, etc.), and lastly, 84,350 jobs that were created because of the spending power driven by the first two categories. For example, a construction worker or restaurant worker who serves a hotel or supplier employee who now has more disposable income. So in total, tourism created a total of 385,330 jobs in 2024.
Speaking of spending power, the area’s tourism industry generated $14 billion in direct wages, which is 20% of all salaries in the region and 23% of all private sector earnings. Again, when we include indirect salaries of suppliers, vendors, etc., the total is $21 billion a year.
How is the city’s tourism looking this summer?
ZC: I’ve visited Las Vegas many times, more than I can count, but this is probably the quietest I’ve ever seen the city, even compared to previous summers. For the first six months of this year, 19 million tourists came to Vegas, which is a decline of more than 7% compared to the same period last year.
If you’re looking at summer, visitor numbers decline even more. Over 3 million tourists came to Las Vegas during June, a drop of more than 11% compared to the previous year. That’s almost 400,000 fewer people in the city’s hotels, casinos, restaurants, and streets. And if June is an indication of how things will look during the rest of this summer, it is expected that over 1 million fewer people will come to Vegas this summer.
As you’d imagine, the numbers are definitely affecting the hospitality industry. Room occupancy rates at hotels this June were 78% compared to 85% a year ago, a 6% drop.
When visiting Las Vegas for this article, I met for a coffee with Mah Jabeen, a graduate student at UNLV School of Hospitality, who was also a Research Assistant for the Office of Economic Development.
I asked how this decline in tourism affects the job market.
“A 10.7% drop in hotel occupancy typically leads to fewer hours for existing staff, hiring freezes, and greater competition for available roles, as hotels cut costs to match lower demand,” she said.
When I asked if she was personally affected, she added: “From my own experience and people I know in the industry, this often means employees are asked to take on multiple roles, making the hospitality job market tighter and less stable.”
I was also curious to know if I was the only one who felt the city was less busy. “Usually, when I go to the Strip or Fremont, I notice fewer people during the day, likely due to the weather, but in the evening and at night there are still a lot of tourists,” she replied.
Are there specific causes for this sharp decline in tourism?
ZC: I personally think it’s a combination of things. High prices to start with; I paid $15 for a cup of coffee and $10 for a small bottle of water in some places. A movie at the Sphere cost me $110, and a Cirque De Soliel show can cost way over $200 (and in both cases, we’re talking standard seats). So when you’re adding travel, accommodation, restaurants, and gambling, and multiplying it by the number of your family members, prices become sky-high.
There’s also the generational gap. Traditional land-based casinos in Las Vegas aren’t drawing younger crowds as they used to. The tech-savvy, younger generation now has more opportunities to gamble online and on mobile apps (especially sports wagering, but in several states, play casino games also). Add tariffs for tourists, and closer-to-home brick and mortar casinos for most Americans, and you’ve got a potent combination for tourism decline.
But don’t take my word for it, Mah Jabeem also voiced similar thoughts.
“The drop in visitor volumes could be due to several factors, like high resort fees discouraging budget-conscious travelers, ongoing international visa restrictions and policies limiting foreign tourism, extreme summer weather discouraging daytime activity, tighter Canadian immigration policies affecting travel from Canada, and a noticeable dip in visitors from California, which could be due to higher gas prices, economic pressure, and more local entertainment options in California.”
What is the city doing to fight the drought?
ZC: I’m not sure if Las Vegas hotels are feeling that they overplayed their hand, but you can see some of the city’s operators dealing out promotions.
Free parking
One of the biggest pain points across Las Vegas in recent years has been parking fees, not only around the Strip, as Downtown Vegas is also becoming crowded, especially around the Fremont area at night. Here are some properties that are offering complimentary parking this summer:
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Resorts World (Hilton Las Vegas, Conrad Las Vegas, and Crockfords Las Vegas)
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Sahara
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Treasure Island
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Circus Circus
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Casino Royal
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Virgin
Resort fee waivers
Resort fees have become a major source of frustration in recent years for me and many fellow travelers who visit Las Vegas. You are pressured to pay during check-in an “optional” resort fee, which includes internet, gym and swimming pool use, and other facilities that are supposed to be an integral part of your stay. So you end up paying a nightly fee of $50, $75 or even more, just to use basic hotel amenities. Now, some hotels are waiving these fees for summer.
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Sahara: Waiving a $55/night resort fee
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Resorts World: Waiving a $50/night resort fee
All-inclusive ‘stay and play’ deals
Some Las Vegas properties are packaging together all the perks and presenting their summer deals as a bundle. In addition to free parking and no resort fees, these packages usually include dining credit, late checkout, complimentary upgrades, etc.
Sahara
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Starting at $69/night
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Free self-parking and valet, $25 daily dining credit, complimentary room upgrade, late checkout, and entertainment/spa/club discounts
Resorts World Las Vegas
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Waived $50 nightly resort fee, free self-parking
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Valid Until: At least August 28
Plaza Hotel & Casino (Downtown Las Vegas)
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$125 per person per night
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Two meals per day, unlimited drinks, waived resort & parking fees, rooftop pool access with food trucks and loungers
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Runs through late August
Circa Resort & Casino (Downtown Las Vegas)
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From $400 for two nights
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$200 dining credit (effectively $100/night in food value)
Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower
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$49/night midweek, $99/night weekends (taxes and fees included)
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$25 daily dining credit and free access to the Observation Deck (normally up to $36.95)
Locals-focused incentives
As there are fewer visitors from out of town, Las Vegas hotels and casinos are now looking to attract locals. Nevada ID holders can unlock special rates, waived fees, and exclusive credits at the following venues:
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Sahara: No resort fees, free parking, dining credits, and other extras
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MGM Resorts: Two-night package with $150 dining credit for two, 2-for-$55 attraction passes, and 40% off select entertainment
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Caesars Entertainment: 15% off stays and 20% off attractions
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Resorts World Las Vegas: 20% off room rates, free self-parking, and 20% off restaurants on Thursdays
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Downtown Grand: 10% off rooms and waived resort fees
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M Resort: 30% off rooms and waived resort fees
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Virgin Hotels Las Vegas: 35% off room rates, free valet and self-parking
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Station Casinos Properties: Waived resort fees at all local properties
I asked Mah Jabeem about how she perceives these initiatives as a Las Vegas local.
“Las Vegas’s population is steadily rising, with about 1.6% growth from 2024 to 2025, placing the metro at around 3 million residents in 2025," she said. "This increase in the local base makes initiatives like free pool access for locals and Mandalay Bay’s $10 Shark Reef Tuesdays particularly smart, they tap into a growing market of nearby residents, encouraging engagement and local spending even when tourism dips."
More ways to increase visitor numbers
I think Las Vegas should diversify beyond traditional tourism by investing in medical tourism and sports-related services, especially as Las Vegas grows as a sports hub.
Developing sports medicine facilities, hosting training camps, and offering rehabilitation packages could attract athletes and health-conscious travelers year-round. At the same time, training locals for specialized roles in these sectors ensures the city isn’t just building fancy venues but also building skilled people to support them, creating sustainable jobs, and reducing reliance on seasonal hospitality demand.
