The Real Reason Why Las Vegas Tourism is Down

Less people are visiting Las Vegas right now. But casual trips are down. Fewer international visitors. We're never coming back to this city. Tumbled by nearly 8%.

Las Vegas is no longer a bargain vacation.

Definitely thinking twice about some of our future travel plans.

Hotel layoffs to whispers of a tourist slowdown. And only time will tell what the future will bring.

Hey everybody, I'm Josh.

And I'm Rachael.

With over 100 combined trips, we have been going to Las Vegas for over 2 decades and seen lots of changes.

Some for the good.

And some for the bad.

Recently there's been a lot of negative news and social media posts about tourism being down in Las Vegas.

Considering how a report last year showed that 86% of visitors to Las Vegas were repeat guests. The question we want to look at in this video is, does the city seem to be losing its appeal for repeat visitors?

We reached out to our followers and Las Vegas message boards to ask what is better now and what is worse compared to their first trip to Sin City.

With nearly 600 responses, we want to share some of the answers.

And some might surprise you.

We're going to start out by discussing the positive changes people have seen in Las Vegas.

Followed by the negative changes leading to people choosing to go elsewhere.

And share 3 things that we would like to see happen in Las Vegas to keep it being the most repeatable vacation city in America. Before we go any further, look down at the bottom of your screen and see if you're subscribed. It's totally free and helps us out. The channel features an ever-growing number of hotel reviews, food videos, and experiences through our travels.

Would you believe that more than 77% of our views come from non-subscribers?

Let's fix that by getting you on board right now and help us get to 50,000 subscribers by the end We're going to share some of the most commonly discussed positive and negative changes discussed in the post, as well as some of the more interesting ones that we came across. Starting out, we're starting off with the positive. We're just going to do some bullet points and then share like 1 or 2 comments that we've seen throughout to kind of describe what we saw.

One of the things that we noticed from the comments that is better is Uber and Lyft. This comment says, way better transportation now. I once walked from the Flamingo to the South Outlets in August, but because a stupid cartoon map steered me wrong. That would never have happened today with technology and Uber and Lyft.

I will say that that is one of my biggest things as well. Uber and Lyft has allowed us to get to so many other places.

Yeah.

The next one talks about more good dining options. This answer says, your restaurant options from low end to high end are way better. If I can add one more positive, it's all the things you can do. We'll hit that one too.

Yes. More comments on more high-end restaurants. People romanticized 20+ years ago, but it was all diner food.

The next one is about the ease of getting around in Las Vegas. So that includes your pedestrian bridges, your moving walkways, the monorail, free trams, and being able to go from hotel to hotel now.

One of the comments was pro accessibility, at least in my opinion, is much better with walkways inside the casino and multiple options for transportation. Seems like a common theme there.

I agree. Better entertainment options. So this comment says, what's good now is that there's so many things you can do other than gamble. A much more entertainment package now. And I'll say for us, gone to concerts, we've gone to hockey game, football game, we've gone to shows. There's so many different things that you can do now.

We've done museums, we've done tours off the Vegas Strip. We've done so much while we've been in Vegas. Another comment says, more hotels, more luxury, more dining options, Uber, Lyft, significantly more entertainment, sports, the Sphere, comedians, musicians. Fremont Street is safer. There's live music there. The Arts District. Back then, the There were no nightclubs on the Strip.

That kind of hit a ton of different things right there.

Yeah, there's a lot of different pieces.

Including one of the next points, which was brought up several times, was that Fremont is safer now. I can say I went to Fremont and stayed on there about 10 years ago. It was a bit of a different world. I can say once Circa came in, it changed things a bit. The next one up is related to gambling. So slot variety, tickets versus coins, and ease of comp system and visibility of rewards.

This comment states, I like the ticket printouts instead of roaming the casino with a bucket of coins and waiting for the attendant to fill it back up. I never visited Vegas during that time but that would be very interesting.

I remember enjoying the coins but it was more the novelty of it.

Because there's still some coin slots at Circus Circus, right? Yeah.

And this next comment actually addresses that as well. One positive is not having to carry buckets of quarters to machines to cash out after playing slot machines.

Yeah.

And I'll say, if you've ever done coin slot machines, your hands get disgusting. Like covered in I don't know, whatever dirt is going on on quarters.

Another comment says the ease of use, visibility of comps via apps and modern slots. Although there are a couple different rewards programs between MGM and Caesars and even Wynn Venetian, you can easily log in and see the points and offers that way.

The next one up is something that we love, is the growth of the Arts District. One thing better than when I first visited is the growth of the Arts District. It gives visitors another area to visit and hang out that gets you away from the Strip. Great food, drinks, and shops.

And I have to agree I love their food and brewery stuff. Yes.

So good.

Another improvement is the air quality in casinos. Big places have spent millions of dollars on air conditioning units and personalized scents to pump through the casino. Paired with the fact that less people are smoking cigarettes than when this person went in the late '90s, air quality, at least for me, has improved.

I agree with that.

Yeah.

And you notice it in the older casinos versus the newer ones too.

Yeah, and there's even an option now. I don't exactly remember where it is, but you can go purchase the scents that are—

Oh yeah.

In specific hotels.

Well, and that even goes to like Park MGM is Non-smoking. That's something that would never happen. Next one up is knowledge of common scams and less card flippers. I remember that when I first went to Las Vegas, like, they were everywhere. I was collecting them. I was like 22 years old, so it was cool. But this says knowledge of common scams, buskers, etc. Lyft and Uber have made getting around much easier. Less card flippers on the Strip. And somebody else even followed up with underrated comment: the lack of flippers is a huge improvement. Plus the walk is much more enjoyable.

Another improvement in Las Vegas that we noticed in the comments was the over-the-top experiences. If you want fancy or you're celebrating something, you can really do it up in Vegas. They've taken everything to the max— gorgeous hotels, designer chef fancy dinners, and fantastic shopping.

And then the top comment on our Reddit post basically encapsulates the majority of this. I started going to Vegas in the '80s, so lots has changed, but your points are still the big improvements for me. The biggest improvement is definitely rideshares. Before, if you ventured off-strip, it was very difficult or impossible to get a taxi to come get you. Long waits of an hour or more, cabs wouldn't show, and you'd have to call dispatch repeatedly on the business phone or later on my cell, which was super expensive on my international phone plan. They flat-out refused to come get us at a shooting range, so we had to walk half an hour to a restaurant and call back. Rideshare has opened up so much of Vegas. We spend lots of time off-strip now.

The strip is more walkable now. There used to be long gaps between casinos with little hotels and dirt lots and crappy souvenir shops before you could get to air conditioning and gambling. Pedestrian bridges have improved things a lot. It also feels much safer with more lighting at night, more security. I have no problem walking alone at night anywhere on the Strip, but there's no way I would have made the same trek in the '80s. Way too sketchy.

There's more variety and entertainment now. It used to be the same headliners and the typical Vegas variety review shows, which were awesome in their way, but now there's definitely something for everyone.

And access to luxury is now much improved. Vegas used to be the cheap place to go. Cheap rooms, cheap food, but all of it middle quality. If you weren't important, you couldn't get access to the best food and rooms. Now if you pay, you can get anything. I remember trying to pay to get a suite at the Dunes and was told they were only for VIPs.

Now let's get negative. So we knew that we were probably gonna get more comments about things that are negative because clearly social media is blowing up right now about people being frustrated with Las Vegas. So, let's get started.

The first common trend we saw in the comments was theming and the general look and feel about Vegas. I would guess that it has something to do with like neon signs.

Yeah.

How hotels used to be themed. So, the casinos were a lot more themed in 1998. I stayed at the Luxor and it had the Egyptian thing going on. And also there were buffets at almost every casino and they were good.

And somebody responded to that, I second that. Amen. Themed casinos were fun and individually distinct. Modern opulence is boring when every casino looks the same. The Jumbotron advertising everywhere does not help either.

I do have to say the new hotels do have a similar appearance. They're still unique, but they still have a similar appearance.

If you look at a lot of the same, or a lot of the newer ones, you're looking at Cosmo, Fontainebleau, Aria, Resorts World. They all have just a very similar modern luxury.

The next comment says, my first trip to Vegas had the Oz Buffet and the Lion at the MGM, a free monorail to Bally's, White tigers in a volcano at Mirage. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra at Caesar's Palace. Pirate show at Treasure Island. And probably a lot more that I can't think of right now. Again, theming.

Yeah. Neon signs is next. Now they're all LED. Not the same at all. It used to be kind of breathtaking to stand on the pedestrian bridges and be submerged in the lights.

I do love the flamingos.

I agree. And I think that that's something that downtown is doing much better.

Yeah.

Fremont, those lights are just Unstoppable.

The themed resorts were everywhere and even brighter. The newer resorts are bland and boring looking, also inside as well. I'll take Excalibur Casino over Fontainebleau every day of the week. But I think the other nice part about that, in my opinion, is there's something for everyone.

That's true.

Someone else may really love Fontainebleau over Excalibur.

But the argument to that is, yes, there's something for everyone now. But if they're gonna— like, there's talks about tearing down Excalibur or Luxor. And if they just build another Modern Luxury, then There is. Yeah. The 24-hour nature. The 24-hour nature of the whole town. Even in the late '90s, there were still later shows, even some at midnight. Now it's hard to find a coffee shop open past 10 PM. Only the club scene and some high-end dining is open late. Such a shame. I remember leaving the hotel at 7 PM and not getting back till 5 AM. I'll agree with that one. We've done it before where like it's almost hard to do a show because And do a dinner that's not either early bird special at 5 PM or you're like grabbing some fast food at 10 PM.

If you're lucky. And some of those food courts and food halls right now even close at 10 o'clock.

That's true. One surprising thing was that buffets was not mentioned as much as I thought it would be. So I don't have any comments for you.

The next one is something, and that's just evolved pretty much nationwide at this point, is the smell of marijuana. So the pot smell on the Strip. Far, far less pot smell. Even less strollers.

And then somebody responded, I hate the pot smell so much, but I run into that even now where I live, now that it's legal here too. That's what I'm saying.

Nationwide. Yep. Next comment says, prices are worse, but for me, I'm sick of that horrible marijuana smell everywhere. It gives me a headache.

And there, of course, was a free parking one thrown in there, which I have shared before, that for me, I don't need it, but I understand it because it is part of the nickel and diming that Has come with Las Vegas.

Yeah. So another piece that was a common trend in the comments was Instagram and influencers. Back then, Vegas wasn't flooded with terrible influencers that buy reviews.

So I think this goes multiple ways where I can understand when you think that somebody is selling you an experience that is actually paid for.

Yeah.

It feels different. But the, the other way that I would like to look at this is that before influencers, before YouTube, before Us making YouTube channel. You didn't know what you were getting into sometimes. So there was a lot more surprise.

Yes.

And I think that that is something that, you know, sometimes we might be missing in this world because we always want to see what something is like before we get there. And I think the influencer could take away from that. The next one up is customer service and free drinks on the casino floor.

So, worst is free drink service while gambling and everything is overpriced. This is the first year in 20+ years that That I will not travel to Vegas. I just can't afford it.

Next comment says, free drinks in casinos. Somebody responds, explain. Because they are just harder to get now. I haven't been since 2016. And somebody responded, from my experience, less available options and the frequency they might come by. Every 45-60 minutes whether you are a low-limit table game or slots. In 2019, they would return before I could even finish my drink and it was great. Each time I tipped $3 to $5. And we've definitely seen this.

Yeah.

It is very hard to see, unless you're in the high limit room, getting a drink more than every 20 to 30 minutes on most casino floors in Vegas.

And that'd be fast, I think.

I— but that's the problem. Like, yeah, clearly that's a problem.

Yep. So the next comment says, customer service in all regards, comp drink service and late night options, parking overall value.

The service has taken a hit. Drink service is not very good at a lot of casinos.

Finding someone to get free drinks from while gambling is impossible now. I was gambling at front of the casino bar. No one came for hours. Walked 5 feet to the bar and got charged for my drink even though he could see me the whole time. Another hot topic, and it definitely came across in the negatives, is that the tipping culture is out of hand. One comment says, what I don't like is the demand for tips for bad service.

And then the next comment says, worst thing? Easy, the amount of tips. Being from the UK, we still find it offensive.

I was shocked to see this as one of the negatives, but I can understand why in many of the hotels, is the lack of upkeep of the properties. So, one con is mentioned is a lack of upkeep and security in the middle to lower-tier properties on the Strip.

The next step, you knew this was gonna come up, resort fees and comps. I rolled them together. They used to at least try to hide the corporate greed. Now, the resort fees and service charges just bleed you dry. Also, they used to offer more and better comps. Next comment says, no resort fees, the biggest scam ever created. Which, if you didn't know, the reason why they do it is to So they don't have to pay third-party travel agents and websites.

Like third-party vendors?

Third-party vendors, yeah. That's why they do it. So that the hotels can keep 50 to 60% of what they charge.

This actually came up in a comment on a recent video of ours too. It's like, what did you get for that resort fee?

Nothing.

And in reality, we were there maybe 12 or 13 hours over it. It was an overnight stay and we didn't get anything. We didn't use the Wi-Fi. We didn't use the pool. We didn't use the gym. So we didn't get anything for that. So I can see why people get frustrated with that resort fee. Right.

Well, and it's also why, like, we, we go through the casino program and MGM, we are gold. And so with that, we get free resort fees, which is, you know, $40 to $60 every night that we're in Vegas. So it's huge. Next comment says, worse, so expensive. Used to get comps for food, shows, rooms. Now comp rooms have a resort fee.

Yeah. And another comment saying, worse, definitely the prices in players clubs. We used to be able to get more for less.

Better gaming odds and table minimums.

So this is saying like in the past it was better gaming odds and table minimums, right?

Yes. First comment says, video poker, blackjack games, and occasional promotions that were statistically beatable if played perfectly. So this alludes to, you know, right now blackjack used to be 3-2 for a payout and now it's 6-5 at the majority of places. There's triple-zero roulette. They just— they'll probably have quadruple-zero roulette in the next couple years because people keep playing them.

Another comment says, worse High table minimums, $6/$5/$000 TSMs at blackjack tables, some properties still not being social media friendly in 2025 when it comes to making slot content.

Here's one that you definitely see plenty of on social media. The shift from being an adult-focused playground to family-friendly.

The worst things now are many, of course, including the expense and fees, but one thing that's at the top of the list for this, this commenter, is kids. This is an adult playground. The increase of kids in hotels creating more things to attract families coming to Vegas. But I think that's a marketing way to go. They have to. Like, yeah, they're losing visitors one way, you gotta now attract families.

Yeah, Vegas is trying to appeal to the masses now, not just the gamblers. And then the obvious one, you knew we were gonna do— prices. First comment says, worse. So, so more expensive than it used to be.

And I don't think this is just inflation of like a little bit each month. It's— we've noticed an extreme amount, especially in the last 5 years.

Agreed.

Another comment says, I'll say the difference is the cost. I don't gamble so my hotel costs are up there. Also, the food costs have really gone up. I used to go to Las Vegas fairly often but not so much now. It's worse than Disney.

That's saying something.

I don't know if we've ever been to Disney to say that.

No, but that is not a compliment.

Yeah, exactly.

This next one says, one thing that is worse is the prices. Everything is so much more expensive especially on the weekends. Which is when we go all the time, of course.

Another comment says, Prices on rooms, food, wine, and booze.

Another, non-gaming spending. I miss Vegas making everything else cheap on purpose so you had money to gamble with.

The interesting part I'm finding about that is people are complaining about the prices, but if you go back to our pros, the prices were lower but the quality was mediocre.

So— Sure. So maybe these people are indicating that the quality is better.

Yeah.

Maybe.

Another comment says, the nickel and diming of every little thing. And we talked about that in regards to resort fees and Those little extra pieces.

And one more about prices. Well, my first trip to Las Vegas was 1982. It was awesome. Everything was so cheap. I didn't go back until 2013, 25 years later. The Strip really exploded. Amazing to see the town. It was great. Food options were cheaper as well as the shows. I honestly don't think there is one single thing that is better now. It is still cool to visit, but you have to really watch your money mostly disappear.

Okay, the last common theme we found through the comments was the overall nature of the city. This one starts out with saying, it didn't take itself so damn seriously. The glitz was rhinestones and feathers and resorts were spectacles, and it was all excess and loud and bright and just plain fun. Now every place is trying to be sleek and modern and refined and elevated and upscale. I want more Liberace and less Michelin star. Even the fun things are too self-aware and Instagrammable about trying to be fun. Think Area 15 or play playground. Bring back quiche.

Quiche.

Quiche.

Quiche. Quiche.

Like the food? Bring back quiche.

Kitsch? Quiche?

I would guess it's kitsch.

Yeah.

Bring back kitsch.

I also miss the small ways that a low roller could feel like a baller. I understand prices go up but it's the nickel and diming that makes you really feel it. Consistent cocktail service on casino floors, doorman at hotels, free entertainment on the Strip, coupon books at hotel check-in. Tchotchkes. Yeah, I almost— I wasn't sure on that word. For loyalty card signup, etc. I know all of these things cost money, but if you baked it into the cost, spread it out across the whole resort, I can't see it raising prices so much that anyone really notices in the long run. What people do notice is a $15 cocktail here, which we see mostly $20 now.

Yeah, I was gonna say $15 would be a great thing to see.

And a $20 convenience charge there and a $49 resort fee per day. People might gamble more if they felt like they weren't having to guard their wallets the whole trip.

Our first trip was in 2012. We loved the freedom to walk around with a drink. So many places were open 24/7 and food and drinks weren't crazy expensive. Flash forward to 22 trips later, we still love it but have to be more careful with our spending. We get less comps and services on the Strip is not as good, even at Cosmo and Bellagio. But this year we cut one of our trips due to costs.

And then our final one, the loss of the overall feeling that the gambler came first. It is a fundamental shift in tourism culture. It refers to fees on the simplistic level, I guess. But Vegas used to be all about enticing gamblers to drop coins and place bets. Free valet as your visit itself was of value to the casino. Awesome instant comps, especially if you happen to win, instead of accumulating points like you do at Subway. I remember that you needed as little as 3 hours at a poker table to get a comp sandwich or a bowl of noodles for lunch. The shows and attractions were all geared towards keeping people gambling. Those little things built relationships with casinos. Something that seems to be much less of a priority.

And the corporations are much more about dollar first now. Getting money first, meaning in room rates, food prices, and additional fees, relying less on gambling projections for revenue. Tourist attractions seem to be completely separate from the gambling now. It's much more about overall tourism and the gambling is left to last.

Alright, now that we've talked about a few things that are frustrating other guests, we're gonna talk about some of the things that we would like to see if we were running Vegas today. The changes that we would make so that tourists want to continue to return. The first piece revolves around gambling. One of the big things that we have seen is that over the years, the average hold on a slot machine has gone from 5% up to 8% now in Las Vegas. So they continue to take more and more and more. I would love to see them come back down to earth because it feels like it's no better than a local casino at this point. And That doesn't sound good. You know?

And I think the best part for me is I don't need to win a lot. I have a small gambling budget but I want to just be able to play a lot.

Yeah.

And I'll keep rotating that money in if you're letting me play on it. I remember not too many trips ago, I had found one machine that was giving me bonus after bonus after bonus. And never once was my bonus more than maybe $10 or $15. But it let me keep playing. It let me keep anticipating that I was going to win a big jackpot.

Yeah.

Never did, but I was anticipating it.

That's the problem. As they continue to take more and more, it really does not entice you to gamble as much.

Another one in regards to gambling is the table limits. They don't allow players to even try table games. And I say that as someone who learned blackjack at a small casino with a $2 minimum about 25 years ago. And I had a blast. But the dealer helped me learn and I was still playing on my own money. We don't see that now. If we see a $15 table, that's cheap. And that to me is expensive, especially for the gambling budget I personally use. And that's, like I said, on the cheap side. We have seen them as high as $25 to $100 for a minimum on a Friday night. And that just seems ridiculous to me.

And that gets back to the gaming odds as well. Where when you go from a 3/2 blackjack to 6/5 blackjack, it's extremely hard to Even potentially win ever. And that's the point of gambling. The goal is to think that you can win.

Yes.

But when it feels like they continue to change the odds against you, also with like the triple zero roulette, they keep taking more odds and eventually people are going to quit. I mean, the younger generation already knows gambling is bad. My generation is taking longer to figure it out. Yeah.

Well, and the interesting part on that, and I think a prime example is dollar blackjack at OYO. That table is always full. But the $25 to $100 tables at Fontainebleau and Resorts World, they're pretty empty.

Right. You have dealers standing around.

Yeah. So you're talking about a shift right there when you have to stand in line to get at a $1 blackjack table. That should say something.

Our next thing is food and drink prices have to be more manageable. We have seen, because of our channel, we recorded and kept receipts from 5 years ago. And there's certain items that we've seen rise as high as 50%.

Yeah.

And we're not talking about a dollar item moving to $1.50. We're talking about an $80 item becoming $120. And you've seen where the random cocktail goes from— it was $15 a few years ago to now it's $20 to $25. We've had $35 drinks. And I'm not talking about champagne.

No. And that— I would say one of the most common things I saw in that was this last year was at Caesars property. Every drink was $24.95.

Yeah.

And I'm just like, give it to me for $20, $19.95. I don't know. I mean, but really, $24.95? That just seems ridiculous.

I believe that the reason why Caesars sets a lot to $24.99 is because at a certain level of their gaming program, they get up to $24.99. So it might make people feel like they're getting better value. But the problem is if you're not that, you're just paying a lot of money.

You're paying a lot of money for a cocktail.

And the last thing that we think that Vegas needs to work on is making service feel like it's a priority again.

Yeah, it does pride itself or Las Vegas does pride itself on being a service city. But if you aren't dropping $10,000 a day in the casino, you don't get that special feeling. I did hear that in multiple comments of making the gambler feel first.

Make people feel important again.

Make people feel important. Like everybody could be a VIP. And I don't believe everybody can feel like a VIP now.

Yeah, I think it's— Las Vegas has turned to the whales and little else, unfortunately. And I think what's crazy about it is there's more and more local casinos. Like, people can probably go to a casino within 2 to 4 hours of their home. Here, it's 25 minutes. Right, almost anywhere in America though.

Yep.

And you know, they're getting the same games now.

Yeah.

So, from a gambling perspective, everyone else has caught up.

Yep.

And they're not doing anything to keep themselves separate. But back to service, there's been staffing shortages at most properties whether it's the front desk, the housekeeping, drink service and a bunch more. So, what sucks about that is it feels like prices have gone up and the guest experience hasn't gone with it. Yep.

Now, in saying that, are we going to stop going to Las Vegas?

No.

No. But we are going to cut back a little bit. I would say this is the first year we've especially— we've cut back.

Yeah. We are looking at going from basically 6 to 7 trips a year to 3 to 4 trips.

Yeah.

Which may not sound crazy. And I know I'm not asking for anyone to feel sorry for us.

No. We're very blessed.

Yeah. We are blessed. But we've been able to travel to a lot of other destinations. And Outside of the hotels, which hotels are expensive when you're traveling, I can tell you that much. But outside of the hotel cost, everything else is far cheaper.

Yes, we've noticed that even from international trips to domestic trips. Big cities to little random hole-in-the-wall towns and restaurants. We can get food much, much cheaper. But here's the caveat to that. In Vegas, The variety is all in one city.

Yes, that's what I love about Vegas and why I'll continue to go to Vegas. One, it's a short flight for me and 2, everything across the country comes to Vegas. You know, there's international restaurants that are coming, there's Best of New York City coming, San Francisco, New Orleans, all of these places are still coming to Vegas and we can go there and try all of it in one shot and that is Is still awesome. If you're enjoying our videos, don't forget to hit that like and subscribe.

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