LVCVA Chief Steve Hill Warns Nevada Economic Forecasters of Leisure Travel Headwinds and Canadian Drop-Off

LAS VEGAS, NV — While soaring convention attendance and resilient gaming totals continue to generate strong tax revenues across the Strip corridor, overall visitor volume remains stuck below pre-pandemic baselines, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO Steve Hill told state economic forecasters.

Briefing the Nevada Economic Forum—the state-mandated independent panel charged with projecting General Fund revenues for the upcoming legislative budget cycle—Hill outlined emerging vulnerabilities facing Nevada’s primary economic engine.

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|          NEVADA ECONOMIC FORUM TOURISM DOSSIER         |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|  - Briefing Body: Nevada Economic Forum (Carson City)  |
|  - Presenter: Steve Hill (LVCVA President & CEO)       |
|  - Pre-Pandemic Benchmark: 42.5 Million Visitors (2019)|
|  - Current Deficit: Down 3.5M to 4M Annual Visitors    |
|  - International Slump: Canadian Travel Down 30%       |
|  - Aviation Cost Pressure: Las Vegas Airfares Up >20%  |
|  - Growth Offsets:                                     |
|      • Convention Attendance Up +11.2%                 |
|      • Gaming Revenue at 135% of 2019 Levels           |
|      • Live Entertainment Tax (LET) Up 400% Since 2019 |
|  - Demographic Shift: High-Income (>$100K) Travelers   |
|    Up 25%; Sharp Declines in Ages 21–29 & Seniors      |
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A Tale of Two Travelers: Conventions vs. Leisure Deficit

Hill told the five-member forecasting panel that annual visitor volume remains approximately 10% below its 2019 peak of 42.5 million visitors.

The drag is being heavily influenced by a 30% drop in Canadian visitation—traditionally the city’s largest international inbound market—alongside rapid ticket price inflation, with domestic airfares into Las Vegas jumping more than 20% over recent quarters.

However, the destination’s top-line revenues have remained insulated due to an 11.2% surge in business travelers and high-spending convention delegates utilizing the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center campus.

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|             KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM LVCVA TESTIMONY         |
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|  • Gaming Resilience: Casino win reached $8.13 billion |
|    through July, running 35% above 2019 trajectories   |
|  • Entertainment Surge: The Live Entertainment Tax on   |
|    non-gaming venues surpassed $100 million in FY26    |
|  • Leisure Contraction: Budget-conscious travelers and |
|    young adults (21–29) down more than 10%             |
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Shifting Demographics on the Strip

According to LVCVA Visitor Profile metrics, visitors with household incomes above $100,000 have surged 25% since 2022, creating a bifurcated resort economy. While luxury dining, high-limit gaming, and stadium headliners at Allegiant Stadium and Sphere are generating historic non-gaming receipts, traditional budget-tier tourists are pulling back.

“We are still gradually losing leisure travelers,” Hill cautioned the panel. “Right now our convention attendance is so strong that it is more than overcoming that number, but it is not necessarily what we would expect to see indefinitely without steady international recovery.”

The Economic Forum will incorporate the LVCVA’s outlook into its binding revenue forecast used by Governor Joe Lombardo and the Nevada Legislature to craft the state’s biennial budget.

Source: Nevada Economic Forum Official Transcript, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Research Division, Vegas Inc / Las Vegas Sun.