Las Vegas tourism took a hit last year, but new data suggests Sin City may be showing signs of life again.Las Vegas topped Priceline's list of U.S.destinations with the biggest year-over-year increase in searches for September, beating out Orlando and New York, the New York Post reported.The city also welcomed 2.7% more visitors in July compared with the same month last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).
That marks a partial recovery after visitation fell 12% in July 2025.LAS VEGAS PRICES SQUEEZE EVERYDAY TRAVELERS AS POPULAR CITY EMBRACES EXPENSIVE MAKEOVERHotel occupancy in July rose 1.1 percentage points year over year to 77.2%, while convention attendance fell 5.6%, according to the LVCVA.New data suggests tourists may be returning to Las Vegas after a challenging year for the popular destination.(iStock)Vegas' signs of life come amid frustration from tourists over the rising cost of visiting the city.A $26 minibar bottle of water at Aria, for example, sparked social-media outrage in 2025 after a guest's complaint was published by travel blog "View from the Wing" and picked up by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It became a symbol of complaints that visitors were being nickel-and-dimed.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZLas Vegas has yet to fully recover to its pre-pandemic tourism levels.In 2025, Las Vegas welcomed 38.5 million visitors, down 7.5% from 2024, according to the LVCVA.Visitor spending fell to $50.8 billion that year, down from $55.1 billion in 2024, according to a report presented to the LVCVA board.LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill told the Nevada Economic Forum earlier this month that annual visitor volume remains about 10% below the 42.5 million visitors recorded in 2019.One major factor is the decline in Canadian travelers, historically Las Vegas' largest international market.
Canadian visitation is down about 30% from 2019 levels, Hill said, while airfare to and from Las Vegas has climbed more...