Visitation to Las Vegas took a dramatic dive in March, falling more than 58 percent to 1.5 million people.
All non-essential businesses in Nevada, including casinos, were ordered closed on March 17 to stem the spread of the coronavirus, and the impacts showed on the state’s core industries of tourism and gambling-related tourism.
This was especially true for the state’s largest market, Las Vegas, and April’s full month of closures promises declines that will be far worse.
March gambling win in Las Vegas and the surrounding Southern Nevada region was down 38.1 percent compared to March 2019. Hotel occupancy in Las Vegas, which typically runs to 90 percent or more, fell almost 52 percent year-on-year to 39.8 percent during the month. Convention attendance was down almost 55 percent to fewer than 250,000 visitors.
The combined toll on revenue per available room, a closely watched metric of hotel profitability, was dramatic: $57.22, a decline of more than 53 percent.
McCarran International Airport reported a 53.1 percent decline in passenger traffic to 2 million in March. Highway traffic, including local traffic, was down 29.3 percent to 83,194 vehicles per day.
Through the first quarter, Las Vegas visitation is down 18.3 percent compared to last year, convention attendance is off 13 percent. Hotel occupancy is down 17 percent.
