Las Vegas Airport Travel Plummets, Hotel-Casino Occupancy Rates Low
Posted on: January 29, 2021, 03:19h.
Last updated on: January 31, 2021, 07:59h.
The number of travelers using the Las Vegas airport continued to decline in December, down more than 60 percent from the same month a year earlier. This coronavirus-related slump in tourism has contributed to low hotel-casino occupancy rates.
Last month, McCarran International Airport recorded nearly 1.7 million arriving and departing passengers. This is 60.7 percent below the 4.2 million travelers who used the airport in December 2019, according to the latest figures from the Clark County Department of Aviation.
Overall in 2020, the number of passengers fell by 56.9 percent, compared to 2019. Last year, about 22 million travelers used the airport. In 2019, the passenger total was over 51 million. The city has lost more than 29 million air travelers so far during the pandemic.
The airport is just east of the Las Vegas Strip, near the Tropicana Las Vegas and other hotel-casinos at the southern end of the resort corridor.
In January and February, airport travel at McCarran had been on a record-setting pace, according to an aviation department news release.
The number of travelers began to tumble after the first coronavirus cases surfaced in March. That month, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) ordered casinos and other businesses statewide to close. In April, the airport had its lowest number of travelers, only 152,716 for the month.
After a 78-day shutdown, the governor permitted casinos to reopen June 4. Some opened right away. Others began operating again over time.
Low Visitor Volume
Because of Las Vegas’ remote desert location, airport travel is seen as important in getting large numbers of visitors to the city. The nearest big metropolitan area, Los Angeles, is at least four hours away by car. Phoenix is about five hours away.
Some tourism officials have expressed hope that a high-speed train from Southern California to Las Vegas will help in boosting tourism numbers. However, construction on a train is not expected to begin until at least the spring.
The 19.03 million people who visited Las Vegas in 2020 was off by 55.2 percent from the previous year, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It also was the lowest number since 1989. That is the year the Mirage Las Vegas was built on the west side of the Strip, sparking a boom in megaresort construction.
Hope on the Horizon
Hotel occupancy rates in December also were low. The weekend rate was 45.4 percent. During the middle of the week, the occupancy rate dropped to 25 percent, the newspaper reported.
With no conventions or major events in Las Vegas, some casino executives expect midweek occupancy rates to remain soft.
Several hotel-casinos have shut down their entire operations, including the gaming floors and hotel towers, during the middle of the week. Others are closing their hotel towers only during the midweek period. These closures are considered temporary, depending on when visitor volume turns around.
Lower room rates reflect an effort to attract visitors. The average room rate in December was $100.09, or 9.3 percent less than the same month in 2019, the newspaper reported.
Officials are hopeful that COVID-19 vaccines and the public’s desire to travel will help revitalize the Las Vegas tourism economy.
Rosemary A. Vassiliadis, the aviation department’s director, said she has confidence vaccines “will be a stimulus to air travel.”
“We know that there is pent-up demand for this destination, and the airport will be at the forefront of the Las Vegas recovery effort,” she said in the news release.
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Last Comments ( 37 )
Joe and Hunter Bidens buddies in China have caused this Las Vegas downward spiral.
MGM says they are the leaders in service but when entering their properties the feeling is definitely different. Valet is limited with no valet parking, you can drop your bags and go to selfparking or tip the bellman to leave your car up front for a bit. At least downtown knows service and has that Vegas feel.
Delano should offer valet parking, ridiculous MGM international offers all service expect a service that greets guest upon entry. Most important asset to guest services. At least they could do is bring back the valet parking on weekends to assist. The bellman
In comment to Michael Ditomassi, the hotels are not the ones who set the resorts fees and they do not get the money from the resort fees.
Drinks are still free. Too many people you say ? It’s just the opposite. Do us a favor and DO stay home. We don’t need Dopes like you here Jane.
Just came back from a trip there, worst it's ever been. Look, if people are worried about getting covid, they aren't vacationing in Vegas. Lighten up, realize you're only delaying the inevitable. Requiring restaurant reservations, keeping occupancy at 25%, shutting down shows & transportation?? My state has been open for months, & now is on track for herd immunity. Vegas requires masks in smoke filled casinos...let that sink in. Homeless people, buildings run down & closed...stop ruining the livelihood & jobs of your people for a 98% survival rate, open up!
I'm so happy the greedy callous people of casino management are failing. they deserve to get fired & leave the city after they've been fleecing off their employees and customers for too many years.
Resort fees...resort fees...as long that i still seeing resort fees on top of the room price...Not going !
Winnings are way down restaurant prices way up no comps . Vegas was a great place to get away from reality now we can't afford it. After visiting vegas for 40 + years I will now say goodbye to it thanks for the great memories
Your absolutely right Stephen. I worked in nightlife with the night life crippled and the lack of conventions. Forget about it. Even though I’m still working the night life there is no crowd to serve and even less quality clientele. If we do have quality it’s rare. Superbowel is around the corner and I’m praying for a good weekend. This article totally left those valid points out. What do people really come to Vegas for now? Right! It’s not the night life or amazing concerts and live games. It’s to get away from LA because they shut down or to get away from the quarantined life. The knuckle heads I saw on the strip spending their stimulus funds was the worst crowd I ever seen in Vegas. Ghettofabulous !!! Sadly the Wynn and cosmopolitan had to increase their security for a few months just to deal with the undesirable crowds that came in. We need those conventions and the night life back open. We need the concerts and Vegas held venues back to operate to make Vegas functional and get back the quality we are use to.
I agree with Stephan. I work at a gentlemen’s club we are dead. You walk in there and it looks like a Tuesday night. We need convention attendees and just regular Vegas venues back. It’s really slow even on the weekends. I could only imagine what superbowel will be like this year. Not even sure if it’s worth working that day use yo be the biggest night for our clubs.
Went back after 6 years of going yearly. Now you have to pay for drinks and food is higher than at a quality resturant at home. Too many people. Enjoyed the 70's and 80's! Will never go back, not worth the time and money to travel there and stay.
Apparently you didn't watch much football. Several teams had fans in attendance this past season.
Hey casino management try to eliminate ridiculous resort fees.Maybe give some xtrs incentives to guests who already hold you loyalty card.Common sense You all complained about low occupancy in your hotel yet you rarely upgrade your loyal players.
As long as the policy is 25% in the building and 50 people total at single gatherings nothing is going to change. The MATH says that much. I am frankly tired of reading idiotic articles like this blowing smoke out the arse. Does anybody understand we just had an entire season of NFL Football without a single fan attending? a season devoid of large Conventions and Events? the numbers stated in this screed leave out the absolute fact most of the people who did come to Las Vegas the last 10 months are the exact bunch it has avoided attracting in 30 years. Anybody who lives and works in the city understand were are essentially CLOSED. The Leaders here have no resident to correct anything. That's the real story.