Trump slump hits Las Vegas as tourist numbers drop

Independent

02-05-2025

Visitors to Las Vegas have dropped by almost eight per cent, according to a new report by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).
The Nevada city welcomed 3.39 million visitors in March, compared with 3.68 million in February, a fall of 7.8 per cent.
Midweek hotel occupancy was also down 2.4 per cent, with hotel rooms 82.9 per cent full in March, compared with 85.3 per cent in March 2024, despite more than half a million people attending conferences in the city.
On weekends, hotel occupancy was down by one per cent.
Casinos in Sin City also reported an almost five per cent drop over the past year, a figure that stands at 1.1 per cent statewide.
The report, which was shared with local news media 8 News Now, revealed that despite the slump, hotel rates on the Las Vegas Strip have risen by 3.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.
Data reported by the Clark County Department of Aviation also found a 3. 9 per cent drop in the number of passengers arriving and departing from Harry Reid International Airport.
Elsewhere, vehicle counts at the Nevada-California border on I-15 show a fall of 3.1 per cent in traffic, according to the LVCVA.
The Independent has contacted LVCVA for comment.
The figures form part of the 'Trump slump', which has seen many international travellers eschewing the US due to fears of deportation following several high profile cases, including German backpackers Charlotte Pohl and Maria Lepère, Rebecca Burke from Wales and Lucas Sielaff from Germany
Discomfort with President Trump's public proclamations and policies, including the introduction of tariffs, also appears to have impacted visitor numbers.
17 per cent year-on-year decline in the number of western Europeans visiting the US in March 2025.
For travellers from Germany and Ireland, this slump is over a quarter.