Julie Henne Las Vegas tourism is in a sharp decline for 2025, partially due to pricing. The last time Vegas faced a slump like this was in 2008, during the Great Recession.
Las Vegas can’t figure out why fewer people are showing up, but charging nearly nine bucks for a bottle of water probably isn’t helping. The Flamingo is selling 20-ounce bottles of Aquafina for $8.99, while visitor numbers dropped almost 9% in September compared to last year. That’s the eighth month in a row Vegas has seen fewer tourists walking through casino doors.
Vegas casino water prices gouging
A local news survey found wild price differences across the Strip. Circus Circus charges $4.25 for the same bottle that costs $2.49 at the CVS inside Treasure Island. A gift shop at Caesars Forum wants $6.49, and Excalibur rings it up at $5.29. Meanwhile, street vendors outside are selling bottles for a dollar, or three for six bucks. The gap between what casinos charge and what the same product costs just outside their doors keeps getting wider. Of course, most people are well acquainted with the idea of convenience and cost association, which allows various locations to upcharge items, and consumers will pay the higher prices for the convenience.
Las Vegas visitor numbers drop 8 percent
The most recent Las Vegas tourism decline isn’t only caused by the increased 2025 pricing found across the board. The tourism slump goes deeper than just one bad month. The Vegas September 2025 tourism statistics show a sharp decline in visitors to Sin City. Between January and September 2025, Vegas welcomed about 30 million visitors in total, down 8% from the previous year. Convention attendance tanked by nearly 19%. Vegas Strip hotel occupancy is down 78.7%, and the average room rate dropped to $191. Canadian tourists seem to be in boycott mode, and Vegas is feeling the squeeze. They used to make up the biggest chunk of international tourists, but they are down 38% in some months because of tariffs and political tensions.
How do tariffs and political tension impact Las Vegas tourism decline?
Tariffs immediately increase the price of consumer goods, especially when the tariffs are imposed on foreign products and no domestic replacements are readily available. While this sounds like putting the cart before the horse, the initial idea of tariffs is to bring production back into the country, but consumers are paying the prices. This has partially led to the Las Vegas tourism decline, with 2025 pricing of most consumer goods increasing dramatically.
In addition to the increased prices of items tourists buy in Las Vegas, some visitors likely cancelled their plans to visit Sin City because increased prices cut into their vacation savings. This means we might see an increase in staycations, which doesn’t help areas that rely on tourism to thrive.
Political tensions have been at an all-time high since the current Presidential administration began. Canada and Mexico have been two of the greatest allies to the United States for many years, but that has changed in recent months. Couple this tension with the negative immigration policies, and many tourists have made the choice not to cross into the United States, making plans to visit other locations instead of Las Vegas.
Resort fees and surprise charges spurn serious controversy among tourists
Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars told Fox News that surprise fees are what really tick people off. A room advertised at $149 per night becomes $300 or $400 after they tack on resort fees, parking charges, and taxes. When you add $9 bottles of water and $30 for two beers at the casino bar, the bill adds up fast. Vegas has always been expensive, but the gap between what people expect to pay and what they actually get charged keeps growing.
Are resort fees normal?
Cities and areas that are known as tourist destinations often charge various resort fees. The charges for parking, taxes, and conveniences aren’t unusual, but shouldn’t be so high as to increase the cost of a hotel stay by nearly double or more compared to the original, advertised price. While some people will provide a blind and unfeeling stance by saying “if you can’t afford to travel, you should just stay home,” there’s a ripple effect that fewer visitors to an area that relies heavily on tourism will eventually decline, and items that should cost a lot less will be marked up dramatically.
Rising costs, fewer international flights, and economic uncertainty are all playing a role, but casinos gouging tourists on basic necessities while wondering where everyone went seems tone-deaf at best. The Las Vegas tourism decline is caused by increased 2025 pricing, which is the direct result of the most recent federal administration’s policies.
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