LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The numbers are in, and they show we are inching back to pre-pandemic tourism levels in Las Vegas.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 38.8 million people visited Las Vegas in 2022. That's a few million people short of pre-pandemic numbers — but 21% up from 2021's visitors.
There are a few reasons why, says Jeremy Aguero, principal financial analyst at Applied Analysis.
"One is going to be convention-related travel is still taking a little time to come back. We knew that was going to be a little sluggish," Aguero said. "The other part is international travel is taking a little time."
(2/3) Part of that gap is from convention visitors. There were 5 million in 2022, which was up significantly YOY, but still about 1.6 million short of 2019's total.
— Bryan Horwath (@bryanhorwath) February 1, 2023
In 2022, Las Vegas hosted the NFL Pro Bowl, the NFL Draft, and other major events that Aguero says are helping to boost our economy.
"Prior to COVID-19, we saw that things like sports and entertainment were the seventh-highest in motivation for somebody to get in a car or get on a plane and come to Las Vegas," Aguero said. "Today, that number is two — it is the second-most noted motivation for someone coming."
Convention numbers are also up from 2021, with 5 million people traveling to Las Vegas for conventions in 2022. But they're still short 1.6 million from pre-pandemic levels.
"What this reflects to us is we still have room for continued growth," Aguero said.
