Visitation to Las Vegas experienced a downturn for the fifth month in a row as of May, with various indicators such as occupancy rates, room rates, and airport passenger traffic all showing declines compared to the previous year. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported a 6.5 percent drop in visitors, totaling 3.4 million for the month. Room rates decreased by 2.2 percent, largely due to a significant reduction in downtown Las Vegas rates, and occupancy rates fell to 83 percent, down 3.1 percentage points.
Gaming revenue in Clark County also saw a decline of 2.5 percent. Passenger traffic at Harry Reid International Airport decreased by 3.9 percent, with a notable 8.7 percent drop in international passenger numbers, particularly from Canada. In contrast, convention attendance rose by 10.7 percent to 511,200, although this was still the lowest monthly figure for 2025. Conventions like a Bitcoin conference, LightFair International, and the National Automatic Merchandising Association-NAMA Show contributed to this increase.
Despite the downturn in room rates, they remained at their highest monthly level for 2025, averaging $198.20 per night. Rates in downtown Las Vegas fell significantly by 12.4 percent, while Strip rates saw a minor decrease of 1.2 percent.
Other tourism indicators, such as room nights occupied and vehicle traffic on major highways, also saw declines. Traffic on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border dropped by 5 percent.
While Las Vegas struggled, Laughlin experienced growth with an 11.2 percent increase in visitor volume and a 17 percent rise in gross gaming revenue. Passenger traffic at Bullhead City-Laughlin International Airport surged by 27.8 percent.
Overall, Nevada’s gaming revenue for the state saw a 2.2 percent decrease compared to May 2024. Eight of the 20 markets monitored reported lower gaming wins than the previous year. Despite these declines, Nevada has consistently recorded gaming win amounts above pre-pandemic levels, marking the 51st consecutive month of achieving at least $1 billion in monthly gaming revenue.
The state’s percentage-fee tax collections are expected to fall just short of $1 billion for the fiscal year, with collections down 0.7 percent from the previous year. The Nevada Gaming Control Board anticipates releasing June’s figures in late July, which will provide insight into whether the state’s streak of consecutive years with record gaming revenue growth will continue.