A combined two million more tourists and convention goers flocked to Las Vegas in 2023 than during the prior year, the highest numbers since the pandemic in 2020 and a boost to the Strip and midweek hotel occupancy.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released the year-end numbers Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Nevada Gaming Control Board releasing its gaming-revenue numbers next week. The two agencies normally release the numbers on the same day.
Las Vegas tallied 40.8 million visitors in 2023, 5.2% higher than the 38.8 million in 2022. The total was aided by 3.35 million visitors in December, a 2.7% increase over December 2022. The record was 42.9 million in 2016 and visitation was 42.5 million in 2019, pre-COVID.
Convention attendance helped boost the 2023 visitation number, as the group segment attracted 5.98 million, 20% higher than the 4.99 million in 2022. Convention attendance slowed in December to 195,700, an 11% decline from December 2022.
Both tourism and convention attendance are expected to grow even higher in 2024, based on reports from casino operators and predictions from tourism officials. The Super Bowl, Las Vegas Raiders home games, and concerts are expected to boost visitation.
Las Vegas’s overall hotel occupancy was 83.5% for 2023, a gain of 4.3 points over 2022. It was 88.9% in 2019.
Weekend occupancy reached 90.7%, a gain of 1.4 points over 2022. It was 94.9% in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
Midweek occupancy, boosted by one million more convention goers, improved to 80.3%, a gain of 5.6 points over 2022. It was 86.3% in 2019.
Strip occupancy for the year was 86.2%, a gain of 4.6 points over 2022. Downtown occupancy was 69.7%, a gain of 2.4 points over 2022.
Annual average daily rates for 2023 surpassed $191, beating last year by 11.9%, while revenue per available room neared $160, up 18% year over over.
Strip room rates averaged $200, a 5.8% increase from $187 a year ago. The average downtown room rate was $104, unchanged from 2022.
