Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 2 a.m.
Earlier this year, in an advertisement for its Duck Duck Shed event on the history of architecture, design and culture of the region, the Neon Museum described Las Vegas as “the city of reinvention” that “blows up to build up.”
Today, as Las Vegas faces a significant decline in tourism, that spirit of self-awareness, flexibility and adaptation is showing once again, and it deserves praise.
Hotel occupancy has plunged to just 66.7%, international visitors are down more than 13% and even domestic air travel to Harry Reid International Airport has slipped by nearly 4%. For a region whose lifeblood is tourism, those numbers don’t just affect the bottom line for big companies like MGM or Caesars, they mean lost tips for waiters, fewer shifts for cocktail servers and shrinking hours for retail clerks.
One of the problems identified by locals and visitors alike is that for too long, Strip operators chased high-end luxury spending at the expense of everyday travelers. They slapped guests with massive (and too often hidden) resort fees; charged $10, $20 or even $30 dollars for a bottle of water and imposed significant fees for everything from parking and early check-in to pool chairs for hotel guests. Visitors hoping to enjoy the Las Vegas Strip felt squeezed before they ever stepped foot in a casino, and some simply stopped coming.
Consumers have been discussing the problem of high prices on social media for years and finally gained some traction in national news media in the past several months. Thanks in part to that coverage, Las Vegas’ hospitality leaders have finally begun to recognize that they have been contributing to the decline in tourism.
As a result, this summer, a quiet course correction has begun. Properties up and down the Strip are eliminating parking and resort fees, and creating package deals for lodging, food, amenities and entertainment designed to make guests feel welcome rather than fleeced.
These moves deserve encouragement — not just because they may help fill rooms, but because they reflect an understanding that Las Vegas thrives when everyone feels like they can play a part in the city’s economy. Changes thus far have been modest and more will need to be done to earn guest loyalty in a period of overall economic uncertainty. But there can be little doubt that visitors who feel respected, rather than gouged, are more likely to linger at the blackjack table, splurge on a show or treat themselves to a fancy dinner. That spending supports hundreds of thousands of workers who make Las Vegas hum.
Yes, luxury experiences will always have their place, but nickel-and-diming guests for basic amenities undermines the very sense of fun that made Las Vegas famous in the first place. The opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with people from around the world and enjoy world-class entertainment and a reasonably priced cocktail while sharing in the thrill of possibility presented by gambling are what transformed a desert outpost into the entertainment capital of the world. Casinos would do well to remember that loyal customers, including many among the region’s more than 2 million residents, are what sustain this city.
But even as resorts take steps to fix their own mistakes, they cannot solve Las Vegas’ or the nation’s deeper tourism problem alone. The decline in international visitors, especially from Canada and Mexico, Nevada’s two largest foreign markets, has been catastrophic. No number of discounted room rates will fix it as long as the White House keeps waging war on foreign tourism.
President Donald Trump’s “America First” bluster may play well on social media, but it is hammering tourism-dependent cities like Las Vegas. Canadians, who once poured 1.49 million visitors into Nevada each year, are increasingly staying home. International visitors, who typically stay longer and spend more, are crucial to the city’s economy — and they are being driven away.
Keep in mind, it’s not just Las Vegas or even large cities generally that rely on tourism dollars. Outdoor recreation brings $8.1 billion into Nevada’s economy and employs 58,000 people in the Silver State. Much of that money goes to places like the Moapa Valley, Mesquite and Laughlin, which serve as gateways to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Utah’s national parks and Northern Arizona’s canyon country, respectively.
The reasons international tourists are staying away aren’t a mystery. Trump’s new “visa integrity fee,” which forces foreign tourists to hand over $250 in addition to existing visa costs, is the latest unnecessary barrier. Add to that Trump’s tariffs, his habit of insulting foreign leaders and companies, and his Justice Department’s aggressive immigration tactics that round up anyone who looks like they might not be a U.S. citizen, and you get a simple truth: People are less likely to spend their hard-earned vacation dollars in a country whose president seems to view them with disdain.
The damage goes beyond economics. Travel is, at its heart, an act of goodwill. It is a declaration that people want to experience American culture, spend their money here and share a little of their own culture in return. When a president mocks other nations, treats allies like adversaries and slaps unnecessary taxes and fees on travelers, he poisons that spirit.
Las Vegas can’t afford that kind of poison. No U.S. city can. Tourism is one of America’s greatest exports and international visitors are among its best customers. In 2026, when the United States co-hosts the World Cup, millions of foreign fans will decide whether to spend their time and money in cities like Las Vegas. If they are greeted with insults, they will simply go elsewhere.
The resorts on the Strip are finally doing their part, making it clear that everyone — whether they’re staying at a $49 hotel or a $5,000 suite — is welcome in Las Vegas. But without help from Washington, those efforts can only go so far.
If Trump truly cares about American jobs and putting American interests first, he should stop alienating the tourists who help support American livelihoods. Las Vegas is ready to deal the cards. The White House just needs to stop stacking the deck against it.
