01-04-2025
A year later, Super Bowl's tourism impact on Las Vegas clear to see
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas tourism indicators were down across the board in February, but the reason was pretty easy to see in comparisons to February 2024.
The Super Bowl effect was noticeably gone. Hotel revenue and occupancy rates suffered in comparison, and visitor volume plunged by about 12%, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).
An overtime thriller in 2024 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers had Las Vegas hopping, with Patrick Mahomes and his team crowned NFL champs, 25-22, at Allegiant Stadium. For 2025, the game moved on to New Orleans — the 11th time it's been played there.
People were already talking about the next time the game comes to Las Vegas. But that's not on the schedule just yet, and all eyes are on 2029 as insiders make Las Vegas a favorite for its second Super Bowl.
This year, 'Mahomes Magic' was MIA as the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 40-22, at the Caesars Superdome. No matter where the game is played, people flock to Las Vegas for the experience. And having the game return is definitely a priority for tourism officials.
So how much difference did it really make?
Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip won just over $690 million in February, about $110 million less than in 2024.
Nevada casinos retreat from December-January wins, 2024 Super Bowl hype
The LVCVA reports that hotel occupancy shrank by 3.4% and revenue per available room (RevPAR) dropped by 28.1%. RevPAR this February was $149.86. The average daily rate for the entire month fell by 25% to $186.16.
On the Strip, RevPAR was $165.91 — 28.9% less than a year ago. The average room price on the Strip was $198.69 — 26.2% lower than last February's $269.37.
That's not all because 2024 was a leap year and had an extra day in February.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated that the Super Bowl's presence made a $1 billion impact on the city.
There were a couple of factors that shouldn't go without mention: hotel room inventory and conventions.
Last year, The Mirage and Tropicana Las Vegas were both open for business. This year, with the Tropicana just a memory and The Mirage shuttered as it rebrands as a Hard Rock International property, the room count was significantly higher — 8,864 rooms, by the LVCVA's count.
And convention attendance was significantly lower this February, with 615,400 people in town for company events. That was 19.5% less than attendance levels in February 2024.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
