Las Vegas Visitor Numbers June 2020
It’s not a huge surprise that Las Vegas is struggling to attract customers as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on. If you’re interested in seeing what Vegas is like on the ground right now, make sure to check out my Vegas tour videos on YouTube. It isn’t quite the same as what you probably have come to expect.
Las Vegas June 2020 Visitor Data Is In
Every month the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority releases visitor data for Las Vegas. It took them a bit to get June’s data up on their site, but it finally has been released and it isn’t good. To back up, all casinos were closed through June 4, but the numbers are still ugly even when taking that into account.
Here are some of the key stats for June, 2020 and how they compare to last June:
- Visitor Volume – 1,065,100 (-70.5%)
- Convention Attendance – 0 (-100%)
- Total Occupancy – 40.9% (-50.8%)
- RevPAR – $42.56 (-61.5%)
These are pretty staggering drops, but aren’t really a big surprise at this point. Visitor volume is about 2.6 million people less than June, 2019 and a large part of that is a lack of conventions. Last year 514,000 people attended conventions in Vegas whereas this year there weren’t any.
RevPAR & Occupancy Hurt
With gaming company after gaming company coming out and announcing huge losses, we know that occupancy is down. Many casinos have reported about 30% occupancy during the week and 50% on weekends. This seems to make sense with the final numbers showing an overall occupancy of just over 40% which is a giant drop from over 90% last year. Room nights occupied dropped 71.5% as well.
Then there is RevPAR or Revenue Per Available Room. This number factors in all rooms and thus the occupancy number has an effect on it. RevPAR this year is an abysmal $42.56 whereas last year it was $110.43. This is why hotels are still closed and the recovery is lethargic at best. There is simply way too much supply.
Average Room Rates Aren’t Down Nearly As Much
While the numbers shown above are bad, one interesting thing to look at is the Average Room Rates. In June, 2020 the average room rate was $104.07 compared to $120.43 a year ago. That means rates are down only 13.6% overall. Better yet, rates on the Strip are only down 9.2% YoY and Downtown they are down only 5.6% YoY. Perhaps deals aren’t as widespread as some think.
The average room rate numbers are a sign that there is demand with a certain segment of the population and the casinos have been able to fill their rooms with people who are paying a decent price. Perhaps a bit less than before, but the discounts aren’t significant, at least when it comes to room rate. Unfortunately there are too many rooms hence that RevPAR drop.
People Are Flying Here A Ton Less
While this isn’t a huge surprise, the LVCVA also tracks deplaned customers when looking at the tourism data for the city. In June, 2020 1,041,823 passengers deplaned at McCarran International Airport. That is down from 4,444,263 a year ago. A staggering 76.6% drop in traffic!
When Will Vegas Recover
Over on YouTube I’ve received hundreds of comments on my videos and everyone seems to have a different opinion on Vegas and when it will recover. I look at these numbers and see two things. First, we have WAY too many hotel rooms for the amount of demand right now. Second, there are people who want to come here and spend money. That’s good for Vegas, but the town needs more of those people.
Vegas gaming is losing a ton of money, because these buildings are big and expensive to run. Additionally, a lot of people are being permanently laid off which will allow the gaming companies to operate more efficiently, but will have a big impact on the local economy. Absent a vaccine, I just don’t see where Vegas recovers enough to fill the available rooms to 90%+ occupancy again and that’s where the Vegas needs to be. Or at least above 40%.
Las Vegas Visitor Numbers June 2020 – Bottom Line
Vegas continues to struggle, but it’s fascinating to see our first glimpse at the real data. I highly suggest checking out the official numbers if you want to dive in even more. What do you think? Will Vegas recover quickly or will these types of numbers become the new normal for awhile? What will it take to bring people back to Vegas in similar numbers to before?
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Count me into that June statistics. Had 3 nights at MGM but once noticed lack of any kind of enforcement for masks and social distancing and guests being completely ruthless, we spent most of our time hiking in the Canyon and eating out of the buffet at the nearby Whole Foods. Definitely not the Vegas experience I am use to. Even walking on the strip felt sketchy (more than usual). One day spent a few hours without any water in the bathroom – so much for wash you hands. They definitely rushed the opening. I am in Cabo right now and I feel safer than I was in Vegas.
Why do they still use Revenue Per Available Room based on 100% of the total rooms when they are mandated to only have 50% occupancy at the current time? Surely it should be revenue based on the available rooms?
The pent up demand to go to Vegas from International travellers like me will definitely give the numbers a boost when we are allowed to enter the US again, but as to what kind of Vegas that will look like is open to question.
I think it gives them a way to compare the numbers across time.
Interesting blend of good comments and trolls.
Though both cities are suffering, I will bet on Las Vegas to recover faster than New York. The reason is that NYC is run by Marxist who does not understand that you need a healthy economy to support social programs. A Black Lives Matter mural on Fifth Avenue is not a tourist draw.
I was also surprised by the number of visitors in June. Let’s face it Vegas was ready for a big fall and here it is. They kept building without thought to the ongoing water shortages and kept raising rates. I will be surprised if Vegas comes back in the same way as before. The damage has been done. Very similar comparisons to the cruise ship industry.
Anyone want to guess the over/under on how many times Shawn says “Of course” in the latest video?
Thanks Jimmy or is it Scott? You always leave such nice comments. Of course you could always just not watch it you hate me so much. Anyways thanks for watching.
Vegas has an opportunity for a new marketing campaign.
1. Free parking 100% at all casinos.
2. No more resort fees.
People will start flocking in once the vaccine is available and Vegas will bounce back faster than expected. The demand will be large enough that resorts will be able to increase room rates.
Resort fees are a scam.
Well they’re with you on the free parking but I think they’ll cling onto those resort fees as long as they can!
They should also publish the number of suckers paying resort fees.
Las Vegas has legalized bait and switch with $39 rooms that charge $50 in resort fees.
1 Million people still visited Vegas in June?
That’s astounding!
A good way to look at it for sure!
The stats above that reference ‘room rates’ are kind of useless given the onslaught of bullsh** fees that get tacked on in Vegas. I find ‘average room rate’ to be a worthless measure when the total bill is 60% taxes and resort fees.
I do hope that they saved all of those resort fees that I paid…you know, for a rainy day.
Snark aside, I’ve attended conferences in Vegas with all sorts of profiles, but I’ve noticed an attendance bump in virtual conferences. In one case, an in-person conference of 250 had 5,000 attendees when held virtually. There are companies that I know who will not be hosting their conference in Vegas, as a permanent plan. Will be interested to see how this plays out.
I, for one, am pretty pleased with the virtual conferences
Yeah virtual conferences are certainly going to have an effect. Vegas casinos have been working hard to expand conference facilities the past few years as well. We may see a lot of those areas empty for quite awhile to come.
Here’s the answer…
We tried everything we could to save lives, we have plenty of knowledge on how to function in society and stay safe (masks, wash hands, etc…) so it’s time to let people make their own choices. You know if you’re in a high risk group. Basically if you’re under 40 you have practically nothing to worry about. Forget about the ‘well they can spread it’ argument. It’s total BS. If you’re in a high risk group and taking the precautions you need to take for your group, it shouldn’t matter what someone else does. Let the younger people start building up immunity. We’ve tried, let’s stop destroying everyone’s lives just to save at most, what 100,000 people who are already sick and probably close to death. Lift the bans, let people use some free will and suffer the consequences of their actions if they act like idiots. And to anyone who says it’s cold to ‘let’ people die from this, how about the hundreds of millions of people adversely effected by these continued restrictions. Children losing out on education that can never be recovered. Families being out into poverty. The long term mental health issues. We’ve gotten so obsessed with the virus that it seems like we’ve just forgotten about the other problem that are far more serious and long term. Lifting all travel restriction is a great place to start.
747flier90…. Right on and I agree. Plus I am 60 and I do not worry about the virus because I am in excellent health. I wear my mask everywhere I go and I wash my hands. I have done everything a prudent, non paranoid person would do.
“BREAKING NEWS……. Stores are now running out of Tampons due to the increase of pussy’s in the United States”.
What are the travel restrictions for entering Nevada/ Las Vegas?
It would also be interesting to monitor:
1. month over month changes (June vs May)
2. Unemployment rates (m/m)
3. Housing market: #newly built, average sales price and average time on market (compare with 2008/9/10).
To get a more complete picture of the situation.
I’ll keep that in mind for the future.