Las Vegas visitors increase in March, even without one of the biggest conventions

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — More than 3.6 million people visited Las Vegas in March, building on the tourism momentum that’s now 4.2% ahead of last year’s pace.

With 3,671,500 visitors, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), there was still plenty of room for improvement as hotels were without a big money-maker — the once-every-three-years CONEXPO‐CON/AGG tradeshow, which brought 142,000 conventioneers last year and won’t return until 2026. That comparison put a dent in convention attendance (down 37.2% compared to March 2023), hotel revenue (revenue per available room down 19.2%) and room prices (average daily rate down 16.4%).

Figures released by Harry Reid International Airport showed a 2% increase (compared to March 2023) in arriving and departing passengers, coming in at a total of 5,043,368. The airport’s biggest carrier, Southwest Airlines, carried more than 1.9 million passengers in March, a 12.9% increase over a year ago. Spirit Airlines, the second-biggest carrier, dropped by 14.7% with 627,142 passengers.

The number of international travelers in March increased by 26.2% compared to March 2023.

The economic reports released near the end of each month show continuing signs of a solid tourism market.

Visitor volume is up 0.4% compared to March 2023, the LVCVA report shows. Hotel occupancy was just over 85% for the month

Overall hotel occupancy reached 85.3% for the month, with the additions of the 3,644-room Fontainebleau Las Vegas and the 209-room Durango Casino & Resort. Those openings added about 3.9% more rooms to the mix.

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