Sin City in crisis? Las Vegas locals 'Freaking Out' as tourists vanish from the strip
Nevada's tip tax law offers little help without customers
Live Events
FAQs
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Las Vegas, once known for its busy streets and flashy casinos, is now shockingly quiet, with some calling it a 'ghost town' on social media. Photos and videos online show almost empty roads and casino areas—a huge change for a city famous for always being alive.Locals are panicking as tourism drops hard. Las Vegas workers say they're "starting to freak out" because fewer tourists means less income. Tips for service workers are down by 50%, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on July 26. This drop has badly hit people in the hospitality and entertainment industries, as stated by Wall Street Journal.Nevada recently passed a law removing tax on tips, which should have helped workers. But locals say it doesn't matter much when there are no tourists to give tips. Charlie Mungo, a Las Vegas tattoo artist, said Canadians once made up 30% of his customers—but now they're gone, as stated by Hindustan Times.Canadians are skipping US travel and products as a protest against President Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, as per the reports.One user on X said, 'WOW! Look at Las Vegas! It's almost like a GHOST TOWN,' with a photo showing nearly empty roads. Another X user, Alex Cole, shared a photo of an empty resort lobby saying 'Las Vegas is dead bro…' He added that the streets were packed last year at the same time.Official numbers also show a clear dip. Visitor numbers in Las Vegas dropped during the first four months of 2025. Passenger traffic at Harry Reid International Airport is also down by 4% for domestic flights in the first half of 2025, compared to last year, as stated in the report by Hindustan Times.Las Vegas is seeing fewer tourists due to high travel costs, Canadian boycotts, and overall drop in domestic travel.Yes, workers say their tips have dropped by up to 50% because fewer visitors are coming to the city.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Agriculture a stumbling block in talks, but India-US trade in sector sees surge
Even as agriculture, along with purchase of Russian oil, has emerged as a key sticking point in the trade talks between India and the United States, here's an interesting fact: Trade in farm produce between the two countries is actually booming and poised to touch a new record this year. During January-June 2025, India's imports of agricultural products from the US were, at $1,693.2 million, a whopping 49.1% more than the $1,135.8 million for the same six months of the last calendar year. India's agricultural exports to the US, too, were up 24.1%, from $2,798.9 million in January-June 2024 to $3,472.7 million in January-June 2025 (see chart). With US President Donald Trump doubling the tariff on import of goods from India to 50 per cent on Wednesday, the impact remains to be seen, but the trends so far suggest two-way farm trade at least surpassing previous highs. If the current growth rates hold, India's agricultural exports to the US could top $7.7 billion, and that of the US to India could be over $3.5 billion in 2025. The US's exports to India have been led by tree nuts — mainly almonds and pistachios — which were valued at $1.1 billion-plus in 2024, and registering further 42.8% annual growth during the first six months of this year. The other three big-ticket items are ethanol, soyabean oil and cotton. Ethanol exports from the US to India, worth over $420 million last year, are basically for manufacturing alcohol-based chemicals, medicines and other industrial uses. The US wants India to open up imports of ethanol also for fuel use, i.e. blending with petrol and diesel. India has been resisting that, just as much as it is not allowing imports of genetically modified (GM) maize and soyabean. US farmers mostly grow only GM maize (corn) and soyabean. India currently permits imports of non-fuel ethanol and oil, produced from GM corn and soyabean respectively, but not the whole grain and oilseed as such. Although the trade negotiations between the two sides are stuck due to India not yielding on GM crops, US exports of both corn-derived ethanol and soyabean oil to India have posted strong growth. The huge jump in soyabean oil exports from the US this year is likely to be sustained by India's move, on May 31, to slash its import duty from 27.5% to 16.5%. Cotton exports from the US have also been growing on the back of India turning into a net importer of the natural fibre. India's agricultural exports to the US are somewhat more diversified. While seafood (primarily frozen shrimp) has been the top item, there are others as well — from spices and essential oils to basmati rice, processed fruits & vegetables and baked foods — that have been doing well, with annual shipment value exceeding $200 million each. It's not clear how much of all these exports would be affected, especially with the new Trump tariff. Take seafood, where India's exports of $2,483.8 million in 2024 was just behind Canada ($3,956.9 million) and Chile ($3,030.1 million), and ahead of Indonesia ($1,907.9 million), Vietnam ($1,790.4 million) and Ecuador ($1,616.4 million). As of now, the 50% tariff on India is above that of all these competitors: Chile (10%), Ecuador (15%), Indonesia (19%), Vietnam (20%) and Canada (35%). While seafood exports from India have remained buoyant, growing by 32.5% year-on-year in January-June, sustaining that may not be easy as the tariff differentials bite. But the fact that agriculture trade per se between India and the US is booming should be some consolation in the present situation where talks are at a standstill.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Won't be Trumped
GOI has called out Trump's extra tariffs for what they are. He was wrong to think hegemony will work Three weeks from now, India will be the most heavily tariffed seller in the US market besides Brazil. Yesterday, through an executive order, Trump imposed an additional ad valorem duty of 25% on India for 'directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil', taking the total to 50%. GOI probably saw this coming from the time Trump's tone changed from friendly to brusque a week ago. Where he had talked up the chances of a trade deal with India on July 8 – 'We are close to making a deal with India' – on July 30 he slapped a 25% import duty along with the threat of an unspecified penalty. Now, the suspense is over. It's impossible to fathom Trump's logic. From the start, China was the presumed target of his tariff war. US runs its largest goods trade deficit with Beijing – worth $295bn in 2024. At one point, Trump raised tariffs on China to 145%, but China's retaliation with a rare earths supply freeze made him see reason. Now, China is tariffed at 30%. If Russian oil triggers Trump, China and Türkiye are also big buyers, yet they have not been 'penalised'. It may be that Trump's acting in frustration. He had boasted he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office, but six months have passed and Putin remains defiant. Perhaps, Trump believes stopping oil revenues will bring Putin to the table. And since he seems unable to touch China for now, India possibly seems like a softer target to him. But this is a huge mistake. For almost 80 years, India has refused to be cowed by hegemons. Yesterday, it termed Trump's action 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable' and made it clear it will 'take all actions necessary to protect its national interests'. As TOI has said before, the current discount on Russian oil is so little that India saves not more than $2bn a year. It could easily pivot to West Asian oil, but the resultant increase in crude prices would hurt all. Besides, if India chooses to pivot, it won't be on Trump's terms. While negotiations with US will continue, Indian exporters are under pressure, so deals with other countries must be prioritised. India should also look beyond goods exports – tourism, for instance – to increase forex earnings. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
NDTV
39 minutes ago
- NDTV
US To Impose 100% Tariff On Semiconductor Imports, Says Trump
Washington: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age. "We'll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors," Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. "But if you're building in the United States of America, there's no charge." The Republican president said companies that make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to an overall uptick in inflation. Inquiries sent to chip makers Nvidia and Intel were not immediately answered. Demand for computer chips has been climbing worldwide, with sales increasing 19.6% in the year-ended in June, according to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization. Trump's tariff threats mark a significant break from existing plans to revive computer chip production in the United States. He is choosing an approach that favors the proverbial stick over carrots in order to incentivize more production. Essentially, the president is betting that higher chip costs would force most companies to open factories domestically, despite the risk that tariffs could squeeze corporate profits and push up prices for mobile phones, TVs and refrigerators. By contrast, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act signed into law in 2022 by then-President Joe Biden provided more than $50 billion to support new computer chip plants, fund research and train workers for the industry. The mix of funding support, tax credits and other financial incentives were meant to draw in private investment, a strategy that Trump has vocally opposed.
