An estimated 38.5 million visitors came to Las Vegas in 2025, the lowest total since the Covid-19 pandemic recovery year of 2021, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported Wednesday.
Total attendance was 7.5 percent lower than a year ago and 11.4 percent less than the record 42.9 million visitors recorded in 2016.
December was the 12th straight month of visitor declines and the fourth worst percentage decline of 2025. For the month, there were 3.1 million visitors, down 9.2 percent from December 2024.
Most of the city’s visitor statistics fell in December with occupancy down 5.8 percentage points to 76.1 percent, and the average daily room rate falling 5.1 percent to $183.87.
Harry Reid International Airport has yet to announce its passenger totals for December and 2025, but other indicators such as Clark County’s gambling profits and traffic on the major freeways leading to Las Vegas were down for the month.
One bright spot was 306,000 convention attendance in December, up 9.6 percent from December 2024. But for the year, convention attendance was flat at 6 million, down 10 percent from 2019’s record 6.6 million.
Although the 2025 average daily room rate of $183.52 was down 5 percent from a year ago, and revenue per available room, a measure of profitability, was down 8.8 percent for the year to $158.62, both metrics were the third-best in history, according to the LVCVA.
Optimism for 2026
Despite the down year, LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill said in perspective, Las Vegas did well and, compared to other destinations, fared well.
“Las Vegas operates on a scale that few destinations can match and 2025 required us to remain nimble as conditions evolved,” Hill said in an email. “Despite a challenging environment, convention demand remained stable, the events calendar remained strong and the destination continued to adapt in real time.”
Hill often said until 2025 that shaky consumer confidence in the economy was behind the challenging year. That and sociopolitical events — particularly President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and his comments about turning Canada into the United States’ 51st state — kept many potential international visitors on the sidelines in 2025.
But Hill remains optimistic about the outlook for 2026, listing several special events that should spur growth in visits this year.
“Las Vegas remains a category of one,” Hill said. “Our focus will continue to be on providing value to our visitors and delivering experiences that elevate our place as the leading leisure and business destination.”
The outlook for 2026 is supported by a robust convention, event and entertainment calendar. The Las Vegas Convention Center is on track to host an estimated 1.2 million trade show attendees in 2026, up from 1 million in 2025, including the return of ConExpo-Con/Agg in March and several new and expanding shows. The Las Vegas Convention Center, which just completed a $600 million renovation, hosts roughly 20 percent of all Las Vegas convention attendees.
ConExpo, a trade show for the construction industry held once every three years, is likely to be one of the top three trade shows in Las Vegas by attendance in 2026.
Big events are coming
Las Vegas will also host major global events throughout the year, including WrestleMania 42 in April, the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, UFC International Fight Week in June and the National Finals Rodeo in December, along with increased international travel tied to the 2026 World Cup and the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The LVCVA anticipates that Las Vegas will be an ideal viewing location for this summer’s FIFA World Cup tournament for those who do not have or can afford tickets to matches at American stadium venues. The World Cup event faced some headwinds last week when former FIFA president Sepp Blatter called for a boycott of US World Cup games in response to President Trump’s controversial behavior on the world stage. Most experts do not expect a boycott to gain much traction, although Germany has threatened to pull its team from the event.
As 2026 draws to a close, Las Vegas will also be able to look forward to hosting its first ever National College Football Championship game at Allegiant Stadium in January.
Laughlin, Mesquite results
LVCVA also markets the Southern Nevada cities of Laughlin and Mesquite and the two destinations had mixed results in 2025.
Although room inventory did not fluctuate in the Colorado River gaming town of Laughlin, visitation there increased 7.3 percent to 1.4 million people in 2025.
While occupancy in Laughlin fell 1 percentage point to 48 percent, the average daily room rate improved 2.7 percent to $62.13 per night. The number of passengers passing through Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport climbed 10 percent to 150,839 passengers and gaming revenue increased 2.4 percent to $493.5 million for the year.
Golf mecca Mesquite, about 140 km northeast of Las Vegas, was at 833,000 visitors, even as hotel inventory rose 16.8 percent to 1,821 rooms. Occupancy in Mesquite fell 5.6 percentage points to 67.6 percent, but the average daily room rate climbed 12.8 percent to $93.48 per night.
Gaming revenue increased 7.1 percent to $202.4 million and traffic on Interstate 15 at the Nevada-Arizona border, reflecting visits from Utah, increased 3.3 percent to 31,776 daily vehicles.
The Nevada Department of Transportation does not separate visitors from local traffic.
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