An Empty Strip And Fewer Tips: Is Las Vegas In Trouble?

Time​ Magazine

4 days ago

Gloria Valdez has made a living as a hostess at a steakhouse at the D Casino in downtown Las Vegas for 15 years, surviving through the economic crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. But she says she's never seen business this bad.
'The pandemic was something that was worldwide, and we had the hope that everything would get better,' says the 38-year-old single mother of two. 'We're not sure if and when this is gonna stop.'
Las Vegas—the city infamous for wedding chapels, 24/7 casinos, and live entertainment—is experiencing a slump in visitors. The destination hosted some 3.1 million tourists in June—marking an 11.3% decline compared to the same month last year, according to a report by the Las Vegas Convention Center. International visitors were down by some 13% in the same month and hotel occupancy is down nearly 15%.
The numbers are catching up to a story being told by locals and visitors for several months now, of an eerily empty Vegas Strip and deserted casino floors.
Who and what is to blame for the slump is a matter of fierce debate. Some blame rising prices, others have attributed Vegas's fall to the rise of other vacation destinations like Nashville, while the Las Vegas Convention Center Authority attributed the downturn to 'economic uncertainty and weaker consumer confidence.'
Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union, calls it the 'Trump slump.'
'If you tell the whole world that they're not welcome, they're not going to come,' says Pappageorge. 'The lifeblood for Las Vegas is Southern California. What folks are telling our members is that the raids and crazy tariffs and this uncertainty, [are causing] people to pull back.'
Data indicates that one in five tourists who came to Vegas in 2024 traveled from California. Just under one in four workers in the state of Nevada as a whole are immigrants. And while there have been reports of Las Vegas workers who are fearful of being impacted by the ICE raids—which have mounted in recent months due to Trump's mass deportation plan— visitors may feel at risk, too.
Empty tables
Whatever the cause, the impact is clear to anyone who lives and works in Vegas. Valdez, a 25-year Vegas resident, sees it in the dwindling number of tourists arriving at her restaurant for a bite to eat. 'We barely have reservations at the steakhouse," she says. 'Sometimes we have 10-20 at most.'
Vegas has typically been a tourism stronghold in the U.S. More than 40 million people visited the desert destination in 2024, generating some $55.1 billion for the tourism industry. But declines in visits to Las Vegas have been recorded every month this year.
The shortfall is affecting workers' bottom line. Holly Lang, a 47-year-old cocktail waitress at MGM Grand on the iconic Vegas Strip, recognizes that her weekly tip income can starkly vary week-to-week, but recent trends point to a downward decline. 'I'm seeing a lot less ups than I normally would,' she says. 'When the economy is shaky, travel is one of the first things to go. If people are uncertain about things, we're an expendable thing for them. They're also not going on vacation if they're uncomfortable,' she says.
'We've definitely got a lot less foot traffic and a lot less people gambling,' she says. 'A lot of the tables are empty.'
The tourism downturn spans nationwide
The U.S. is projected to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending, a decline of more than 22%, according to a May report from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The U.S. was the only country projected to experience a decline among the other 184 countries assessed by the council.
'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' said WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson. Double-digit drops in international arrival data this March from important foreign markets including the U.K., Germany, South Korea, Spain, Ireland, and Ecuador, have also been recorded.
Canada, which topped the chart as the premier international market for visitors arriving in Las Vegas on a direct flight for the past three years, has also experienced sharp drops. Return trips to Canada from the U.S. as a whole fell 22% in June amid boycotts as Trump calls for Canada to become the 51st state and enacts higher tariffs against his northern neighbor.
Some businesses started making staff cuts ahead of 2025. In November, MGM Grand had a round of layoffs, followed by another round in the following spring. Pappageorge says that seasonal reductions in the workforce are typical for the area. 'Twenty-five percent of our workers in these big resort hotels are part-time. They're called the steady extra board because we have ups and downs and under normal visitation,' he says. 'The question is: 'Is this Trump slump here to stay? Or is it something that is going to pass?' Our members are very concerned.'
Earlier this year, Valdez had her hours reduced, meaning she now works for four days instead of five. She says employees have been offered greater vacation time off and many have had their schedules moved around, contributing to her job anxieties.
Fontainebleau, a casino on the Vegas strip, laid off an estimated dozens of workers earlier this May, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It described the layoffs as a 'customary practice in every industry' in a statement at the time. Resorts World has also reported layoffs this year.
Some have taken to social media to point out how the tourism decline is affecting their bottom line. 'Last year, around this time I made $300-$500 in tips, and today I just walked home with $124,' one TikTok user who identified herself as a waitress on the Strip said.
The tourist numbers this year sharply contrast with the post-pandemic tourist boom in Las Vegas, which at one point exceeded visitation levels from 2019. Yet, some casinos have still fared positively. This June, the gaming industry across the state of Nevada made $1.33 billion, up 3.5% over June 2024.
But Pappageorge says that gaming revenue is just one prong of the entire tourism industry. And those who are at risk of losing their job feel limited in their alternative options. 'When I moved here in '96 there were so many jobs here I could pick and choose,' says Lang. 'And right now, people in our service industry are having a hard time finding those jobs. It's not what it used to be.'
Lang adds: 'The whole city is affected by whatever goes down on the Strip.