Travel to Las Vegas is on the rise rapidly as experts hope to return to pre-pandemic numbers soon. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Close, but not there yet
Travel in Las Vegas is approaching pre-pandemic levels as the successful 2022 rebuilding period enters its final stages.
6% year-over-year increase but 11% down from 2019
According to travel officials, 3.2 million people traveled to Las Vegas in August, up 6% year over year but down 11% from 2019, the last full year before the effects of the pandemic hit America. There is still cause for optimism as the city known for its endless entertainment continues to climb in the right direction.
Nevada is also on track for a record year in gambling aggregates, posting over $1 billion in revenue for 19 consecutive months. The path of the gambling scene combined with the increased travel is the perfect storm for Las Vegas to return to the fame it once enjoyed.
Travel Las Vegas waiting for international arrivals
A total of 32 million visitors traveled to Las Vegas last year. While that is certainly enough to meet the amount required for most regions in the world, it is down by nearly 25% from the 42 million it visited in 2019.
During August, 25.2 million visitors made the trip to Vegas, virtually ensuring that the figure of 32 million drops before the end of the year — but despite continued growth, prominent members of the Las Vegas community hope they can reach their travel limit sooner. maybe.
We have not fully recovered internationally, but this is largely due to the slow recovery in Asia.”
“From a local point of view, we’ve recovered too much,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “We have not fully recovered internationally, but this is largely due to the slow recovery in Asia.”
Asian struggles to return to pre-pandemic life are well documented. Macau, a region on the southern coast of China known as a mecca for big players, has been hit by frequent travel restrictions and casino closures, causing tourism and gambling to drop on the priority list.
About 14% (5.8 million) of Las Vegas visitors in 2019 were from abroad. This number has decreased significantly.
Travel and gambling records
The majority of Las Vegas passengers arrive through Harry Reid International Airport, which set a record serving 51.5 million customers in 2019. That number dropped dramatically in 2020 and 2021, but as of August, 34 million guests were registered. That’s on pace for 51 million by the end of the year and already includes a record three-month period from June to August.
I think next year, as the recovery continues, will be a year of great growth for our city.”
“We may be getting a lot closer to what we had in 2019 at the end of this calendar year, but I think next year, as more recovery continues, will be a year of significant growth for our city,” said Rosemary Vasiliadis, Principal of Aviation to Harry Reid. “From an aviation point of view, there were a lot of planes that went out of service once the epidemic broke out, and many of them will come back into service [next year]. “
Many visitors head to Las Vegas for the gambling experience, which begins at the airport with more than 1,400 slot machines, which were commissioned in 1986. Earlier this year, the operator (Airport Slot Concession Inc.) reported lifetime revenue of $ One Billion Dollars from Airport Slots.
Gambling is also setting a record across the state as casinos continue to grow in popularity.
Local gambling centers have reported $11 billion in revenue year-over-year since the beginning of September, and are on track to reach $14.7 billion by New Year’s Day, which is a 10% increase from last year’s record.
