Even with record May hotel rates, Las Vegas tourism showed some recovery, with visitor volume up 2%, aided by a jump in convention business and vehicle traffic from southern California.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported 3.48 million visitors in May, about 68,000 more visitors than May 2025. For the year, Las Vegas has had 16.5 million visitors, up from 16.45 million in May 2025.
The last month’s visitor volume, meanwhile, is below the 3.65 million in May 2024, a decline of nearly 5%.
Casinos said they started to feel the drop in visitor volume in May 2025. June may show some more recovery, with casinos offering deals and many international World Cup visitors expected to include a stop in Las Vegas.
The increase in visitation comes as the Las Vegas Strip recorded a 13% increase in gaming revenue over May 2025, with a jump in slot handle and baccarat drop.
As for the gain in visitor volume, the LVCVA highlighted a sold-out Electric Daisy Carnival 30th anniversary and inaugural World Party Parade; four sold-out BTS concerts at Allegiant Stadium alongside a BTS fan festival; and Vegas Golden Knights playing in the NHL Conference Finals.
Convention attendance for the month at 586,300 was up 14.7% from last May, supported by recurring shows, such as Knowledge (25,000 attendees), ICSC Las Vegas (25,000 attendees), the Licensing International Expo (25,000), and several new or rotating shows, such as the Sweets and Snacks Expo (16,000) and CHAMPS Trade Show (11,000).
For the year, convention attendance at 3.17 million is up 11% or about 313,000.
Hotel occupancy for the month reached 84.7% (+1.7 points), with weekend occupancy at 91.9% (+2 points) and midweek occupancy at 80.7% (+1.4 points). Strip occupancy was 87.6%, up from 85.3% a year ago. It was 88.5% in May 2024.
The strength on the Strip was in contrast to the 71.2% occupancy rate in downtown, down from 74.8% a year ago. It was 76.1% in May 2025. Downtown gaming revenue fell 4.1% in May with fewer hotel guests.
The average daily room rate approached $211, while revenue per room was $178, both reaching record levels for the month. On the Strip, the average room rate was $226, a 6.6% increase over $212 a year ago. It was $215 in May 2024.
Room rates in downtown were nearly $111, a 1% year-over-year increase. It was $124 in May 2024.
Strip revenue per room was $198, up 9.5% from $181 a year ago and $190 in May 2024. It was $79 in downtown Las Vegas, down 3.7% from $82 a year ago and $95 in May 2024.
While air passenger counts fell 8.4% in May, the vehicle count along the 1-15 at the California-Nevada border rose 7.4% to 48,568 a day, up from 45,215 in May 2025.
Among other boosts to Las Vegas tourism in May, the Jonas Brothers performed live at the Dolby Live Theater at Park MGM on May 20th through the 24th. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace hosted a variety of performers throughout the month of May which included Cyndi Lauper, Blake Shelton, David Spade/Nikki Glaser, and Rod Stewart. The MSG Sphere hosted the Wizard of Oz all throughout the month of May, hosted Phish May 1st and 2nd, and hosted No Doubt May 6th through the 16th.
The Academy of Country Music Awards took place on May 17th at MGM Grand’s Garden Arena. The T-Mobile Arena hosted the PBC Boxing match between Benavidez versus Zurdo on May 2nd and hosted the Romeo Santos & Prince Royce bands on May 17th. The T-Mobile Arena also hosted NHL Stanley Cup playoff games between the Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche on May 24th and 26th.
