Prices and Politics to Blame for Vegas Tourism Slump

Without a doubt, tourism has long been the heartbeat of Las Vegas. However, the city is now going through significant changes, as data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has signaled a troubling slowdown resulting in an 11% visitor drop in June 2025 from June 2025. 

International arrivals fell 13%, while hotel occupancy rates fell roughly 15%. The overall decline has sparked plenty of debate, with Las Vegas Locally running several polls to find out what people believe is driving visitors away. 

In one of their recent polls on X, it was revealed that roughly 88% of the 15,500 respondents considered Las Vegas to be too expensive for tourists.

Nearly 70% Blame It on the Prices 

A more recent poll showed that 68% of a total of 14,250 voters pointed the finger at rising costs as the main culprit for the dramatic drop in tourism. From parking fees and resort charges to $26 bottles of water, many travelers say they simply feel priced out of the Vegas experience.

Others considered politics as a major factor, with close to a quarter of those who took part in the same poll blaming President Donald Trump’s new policies and sweeping tariffs that hit dozens of countries, including Canada, a key tourism market for Las Vegas. 

Ever since, the fallout has been dramatic, with the number of Canadian visitors plunging 65% year-on-year in June, a worrying development in the context of these tourists having contributed an estimated $3.6 billion to the Southern Nevada economy in 2024.

Mayor Shelley Berkley described the drop as going from a flood “to a drip” while mentioning Mexico’s similar trends. “We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren’t so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally,” Berkley said earlier this month.

Ted Pappageorge, head of the Culinary Workers Union, considers the “Trump slump” responsible for the fading number of visitors from Southern California, where the majority of Latino travelers typically come from. “If you tell the rest of the world they’re not welcome, then they won’t come,” he explained.

Other Possible Culprits 

However, not everyone is convinced that high prices or the new tariffs tell the whole story. Less than 8% of respondents cited broader economic uncertainty as the reason for the downturn, and 2% admitted they weren’t sure what the real issue might be. 

The poll’s comment section also revealed plenty of new theories, ranging from the downward trend of alcohol consumption across the U.S. to the blistering summer heat, which has been especially intense in recent years.

Whatever the root causes, the numbers are raising alarms in a city where tourism is everything. A double-digit decline in visitor traffic is no small issue, especially at a time when the industry has only recently bounced back from the pandemic era.