Vegas visitor count slips 1.3 percent in July

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- July recorded the smallest year-over-year decline for Las Vegas visitor volume in 2009.

But it was still a drop -- the 14th straight monthly decline and the 17th time in the past 19 months that a smaller number of tourists have made a trip to Southern Nevada than in the same month a year ago.

More than 3.1 million tourists visited Las Vegas during the month, 1.3 percent fewer than the 3.2 million who came to Southern Nevada a year ago, figures released Thursday by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority show.

For the first seven months of 2009, visitor volume is down 6 percent with 21.3 million coming to Las Vegas through July, compared with 22.7 million for the same period a year earlier.

People making the trek are paying less for rooms and spending less, the convention and visitors authority said.

The average daily room rate during July was $86.23, down 18.6 percent from $105.97 in July 2008. Also, Clark County gaming revenues declined 10.9 percent during the month.

For the first seven months of the year, room rates are down 25.8 percent compared with 2008 while gaming revenues are down 13.1 percent in Clark County.

Citywide hotel and motel occupancy was 84.2 percent in July, compared with 87.2 percent a year ago. For the year, room occupancy is at 82.9 percent, a 6 percent decrease.

Convention attendance was down 5.5 percent in July, although the city hosted one meeting more than a year ago. Convention attendance is off 26 percent for all of 2009 with 19.5 percent fewer conventions and meetings held compared with the first seven months of 2008.

One of the few positive figures was automobile traffic coming into Las Vegas. From all major highways, the number of vehicles were up 6.4 percent during the month and 2.2 percent for the first seven months of the year.

The outlying areas of Clark County have also suffered.

In Laughlin, visitor volume was down 2.3 percent in July and is off 11.1 percent in all of 2009. In Mesquite, visitor volume was off 28.1 percent in July and is down 28.2 percent in 2009.