Visitor count up slightly in June

Las Vegas draws 2.2 percent more out-of-towners than same month a year ago

Summer doldrums stalled the city's increasingly important convention industry this June, but an influx of tourists still brought enough travelers for Las Vegas to host just more than 3 million monthly visitors for the fifth time this year.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said Friday June's visitor count was just 2.2 percent better than the same month a year ago, the smallest month-over-month gain in what's so far shaped up as a record year for local travel.

A 31.5 percent drop in convention attendance played a large part in June's slowed growth. Changes in this year's convention calendar resulted in nearly 141,000 fewer delegates during the month and lowered that segment's monthly economic impact from $519.5 million last June to approximately $360 million.

John Piet, senior research analyst for the convention authority, said two large beauty-related trade shows moved to May this year after taking place in June 2003, and three more events shifted from June to July. Only one significant show, a 12,250-attendee event hosted by Herbalife International, rotated out of the city during the period.

"The effect of these events was basically spread to other months" than June, Piet said.

Summer is traditionally a slow period for business travel in Southern Nevada and much of the United States.

Room nights occupied by business travelers fell from 945,286 last June to 678,319, a 28.2 percent decline. Still, a surge in leisure travel pushed the city's room night total to more than 3.38 million, up 2.4 percent.

Whether they came for business or pleasure, visitors paid more to stay in Las Vegas. The city's average daily room rate topped $80 per night, up 8.9 percent from last June's $73.44 average. That gain coincided with Las Vegas' yearlong migration toward higher room prices. Through June, guests paid an average of $92.07 per night vs. $83.96 during the first half of 2003.

Citywide occupancy levels reached 87.5 percent in June, up 1.7 percentage points from a year ago. For the year, local rooms have been filled 89.4 percent of the time, up 4 percentage points.

Las Vegas attracted nearly 18.8 million guests during this year's first half, up 6.5 percent from a year ago and on pace to shatter the best-ever 35.85 million visitor count set in 2000.

Verbatim from http://www.reviewjournal.com