TED DAVIS
With an economy that is heavily reliant on tourism, Las Vegas tourism stakeholders have been battered by a boycott of the destination by many Canadians in the wake of tumultuous relations with the U.S. president.
The numbers are daunting. Las Vegas hotel occupancy was reportedly down by 15% in June this year as compared to June of 2024, and international visitors dropped by 13% in the same period.
Air Canada saw a decrease of 33% in passengers flying to Vegas this June compared to last June. WestJet experienced a similar drop, while Flair Airlines reportedly experienced a 62% slide in the number of people traveling to Vegas in June this year versus a year ago.
But Las Vegas has an ace up its sleeve in answer to the tourism storm that it has been weathering – one that few cities can offer. That is, the city has a massive inventory of resources dedicated to hosting groups of all sizes, from small gatherings to major conferences. Bookings of these groups are now at a record-setting pace, say leading Las Vegas visitor administrators.
“We will set a record for groups next year,” said Steve Hill, president/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “I think that 2026 will be the best group year ever.”
Hill came to Vancouver late in October in the company of six supplier partners for a business update and product showcase for travel retailers.
Hill says Vegas has “plenty of meeting space, and we are filling it.” He said that meeting space in the city grew rapidly during the pandemic, expanding from 11.5 million sq. ft. to 15 million sq. ft. – a 30% increase.
He noted that “we had not filled all that space, partly because we haven’t added room accommodations at nearly the same rate as we have meeting space.” That is changing with the construction of new hotels in the city, as well as a renewed focus on supporting the business of conventions, conferences, exhibitions and meetings of all sizes.
“There was so much leisure demand (in the recent past) that there was no need to focus on the space for groups business,” said H. Fletch Brunelle, VP of marketing for the LVCVA. “I think the properties are going to get back to addressing group needs, because that really drives their mid-week business.”
Brunelle joined Hill and the city supplier partners in making presentations to about 85 travel agents who came to the recent Visit Las Vegas event. They assembled for a dinner at the J.W. Marriott Parq hotel near Vancouver’s major league sports stadiums. Vancouver was the first location in a western Canada road show that also made stops in Edmonton, Calgary and Kelowna.
Plenty of capacity available
“We’ve got plenty of capacity to help move the needle,” said Hill, who described how one hotel was booking groups at a very brisk pace. “There’s only 46 weeks in the year where you can really book group business, and Mandalay Bay has already booked 45 of those 46 weeks,” he said.
Hill also described how the new Fontainebleau Las Vegas has booked 420,000 group room nights for next year, in a hotel that has a total of 1.2 million room nights per year available. “We’re seeing these very big numbers, which will really help the recovery.”
Fontainebleau Las Vegas is one of the Vegas hotel properties that is offering discount incentives to Canadian clients. Its “Uncork Bliss” promotion with Air Canada Vacations and WestJet Vacations invites guests to enjoy a $C150 credit to spend on food and beverages for bookings of three or more nights.
Another property with attractive incentives in partnership with the two airlines is Resorts World, which has three hotels on its premises. The Hilton offers a beverage credit of C$100 with bookings of two nights or more; the Conrad has a beverage credit of C$150 with bookings of two nights or more; and Crockfords offers a beverage credit of C$200 with bookings of two nights or more. These deals are available for booking until Nov. 4, for travel dates through July 31, 2026.
Air Canada Vacations is offering a discount of C$150 per vacation package to Las Vegas (per room, per stay), and providing a booking window up to Oct. 13, for travel through April 30, 2026. This is applicable to a choice of about 35 resorts.
WestJet Vacations is also offering a savings program on Vegas packages that is available for bookings made until Sept. 30, for travel up to April 30, 2026.
For example, a discount of US$50 can be applied to bookings at hotels like the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrahs and the Luxor Hotel; there is US$75 off at bookings at hotels like The Signature at MGM Grand (All Suites), Mandalay Bay, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and New York New York; and US$100 in savings at ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World, Crockfords at Resorts World, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, The Cosmopolitan, Vdara Hotel & Spa, the Venetian and others.
Sports revenues
At one time, the foundation of destination commerce in Las Vegas was gambling. In the decades before its mid-90s transformation, gaming accounted for about two-thirds of guest revenues in the city.
That is now all in the past and Las Vegas currently draws visitors on the basis of many diverse attractions, ranging from music concerts and theatre productions to fine dining to sports – as well as gaming.
Las Vegas took its sports offering to the next level with the arrival of Formula One racing in 2023. The third annual edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place Nov. 20 to 22, racing on a street circuit that circles the Las Vegas strip and uses Las Vegas Blvd. as the long, high speed straight section.
The good news for would-be attendees is that there are some cheaper ticket options available this year, said Hill.
“Hotel and ticket prices have come down and hotel prices are relatively normal now,” he said. “There are more general admission and grandstand seats available, and we cut the prices of the tickets by one-third, so it’s an approachable ticket for most folks now.”
Joining the F1 in the major league sports offering is the NHL Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NFL Las Vegas Raiders and the soon-to-arrive MLB Las Vegas Athletics (A’s) pro baseball team, transplanted from Oakland/Sacramento. After its new stadium is completed, the Vegas A’s will take to the field in 2028.
