Las Vegas dropped 11.3 percent in June. This is not a seasonal blip. It’s a deep change.
Room rates fell 6.6 percent to $163.64. Hotel occupancy dropped 6.5 percent. Convention attendance fell 10.7 percent. Harry Reid Airport traffic was down 6.3 percent. International arrivals dropped nearly 10 percent. Visitors vanished. But gaming revenue? It went up 3.5 percent.
Vegas feels like a ghost mall with slot machines now. A grilled cheese costs $78. Pool cabanas run $300. A beer is $12. Price hikes killed the fun.
The Strip is losing people but squeezing more money from each one. Nevada casinos made $1.33 billion in June. Downtown revenue surged 10.5 percent. The Boulder Strip jumped 19.3 percent. https://www.casino.com/news/las-vegas/las-vegas-tourism-dips-11-gaming-revenue-remains-steady-at-1-33b/
Vegas didn’t just lose tourists. It lost workers first. ICE detentions in Southern Nevada rose 40 percent. Nearly three quarters of hotel housekeepers are foreign-born. Tips are down. Work hours are cut.
“No tax on tips, that’s a rad thing, but it doesn’t really do us much good if there isn’t any people to get tips from.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/immigration-crackdown-causing-trump-slump-110002246.html
Unions call this the Trump slump. “Under the Trump slump, the numbers are tanking.” https://www.visaverge.com/news/unions-say-immigration-crackdown-sparks-trump-slump-in-las-vegas-tourism/
Canada stopped coming. Air Canada flights are down 22 percent. Flair dropped 64 percent. WestJet fell 34.6 percent. WestJet didn’t just cut flights. They cut Vegas. https://hoodline.com/2025/08/trump-slump-hits-las-vegas-as-tourism-plunges-for-sixth-straight-month/
Vegas is still thriving, but don’t look too close at the empty pools. Executives are pushing exclusivity with Bruno Mars, UFC 317, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Strip is shifting from tourists to corporate spending.
Vegas is now a conference city with slot machines. And the buffet still stinks.
The meaning of “experience” has changed. Now it means paying $78 for a grilled cheese and a cocktail. A cultural shift is coming.
This isn’t a dip. It’s a redesign. Revenue goes up. Reality goes down. The cracks are hidden by squeezed spending.