Las Vegas experienced a dip in its tourism figures in February, with the city experiencing a sharp year-over-year contrast to the record-breaking impact of hosting Super Bowl LVIII the previous year, which, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), was projected to generate $23 billion in wagers.
According to figures from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), nearly all key tourism figures dipped and registered notable declines. Tourist volumes were lower by about 12% compared to February 2024.
The sudden decline can be mainly attributed to the absence of the Super Bowl, which had an exaggerated influence on tourism volumes last year.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium generated a lot of city travel, with an estimated economic impact of $1 billion. In comparison, with no big event on the horizon this year, tourism returned to more typical seasonal patterns.
In February 2025, hotel room occupancy fell 3.4%, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) dropped much harder, at 28.1%. The average monthly RevPAR citywide was $149.86. Room rates also fell sharply, with the average daily rate dropping 25% to $186.16.
Properties along the Las Vegas Strip fared worse. Strip RevPAR declined 28.9% to $165.91, and the average daily rate declined 26.2% to $198.69. These figures are much lower than those experienced in February 2024, when the presence of the Super Bowl drove a price power and demand spike across all of the hotel classes.
Gaming revenue mirrored overall tourism trends. Strip casinos recorded gaming wins of just over $690 million in February, down about $110 million from the same month last year.
Las Vegas restructuring affects attendance
Several other elements led to the drop. The total quantity of available hotel rooms declined this year due to shutdowns and redevelopment work.
The Tropicana Las Vegas shut down earlier this year before it was torn down, and The Mirage closed its doors in July 2024. The latter will be replaced by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas.
According to the LVCVA, these closures reduced room inventory by 8,864 rooms, further impacting the city's ability to accommodate high numbers of visitors.
Convention visitation also dropped significantly year-on-year. In February 2025, the city hosted approximately 615,400 convention attendees, a 19.5% decrease from February 2024. The decrease in business travel and corporate events contributed to the decrease in overall visitation and hotel performance.
The precipitous downturns in gaming and tourism revenues are symptomatic of Las Vegas' greater reliance on premium events to fuel high levels of visitor interaction. In recent years, Las Vegas has grown increasingly dependent on sports tourism, large-scale entertainment events, and conventions to diversify its appeal.
The quantifiable impact of the Super Bowl merely serves to emphasize the prominence of these premium events to the local economy.
