Las Vegas visitation dips in February

Strip visitors walk down Las Vegas Boulevard near The Venetian in Las Vegas on Tuesday. February visitation was down 1.3 percent month-over-month.

Conventioneers cross Paradise Road after leaving the National Association of Broadcasters Show on Tuesday. Data show convention attendance during February dropped 20.1 percent from a year earlier.

For the second straight month this year, Las Vegas visitation was down.

After January’s dip of 0.7 percent from last year’s numbers, February visitation was down 1.3 percent, to 3.03 million visitors this year from February 2012’s 3.07 million, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s monthly count shows.

Year-to-date, Las Vegas visitation is down 1 percent, to 6.16 million visitors from last year’s 6.22 million. The convention authority is citing an extra day in February 2012 as the reason for this year’s decrease.

For citywide occupancy, 2013 has been a bit stronger than 2012, with 83.5 percent occupancy this February compared with 81.7 percent last year. Year-to-date, there’s only a slight uptick this year, with 80.8 percent occupancy compared with 80 percent last year.

Hotel occupancy in February was 85.8 percent, slightly more than February 2012’s total of 85.7 percent. February’s motel occupancy shot up to 62.6 percent this year, far outpacing last year’s 47.6 percent.

Although weekend occupancy was down to 89.8 percent this February compared with February 2012’s 90.8 percent, weekday stays were up month-over-month to 80.4 percent from last year’s 77.6 percent.

The average daily room rate in February was $109.38, up from February 2012’s $108.80. Year-to-date, the average daily room rate is up slightly to $111.84 from last year’s $111.34.

Notably, convention attendance in February dropped 20.1 percent. This year, 460,200 people attended Las Vegas conventions during the month, down from February 2012’s convention attendance of 575,717.

The convention authority is citing a slew of shows rotating out of Las Vegas as the reason for the drop. They include the International Wireless Communications, Safari Club International and National Auto Dealers Association conventions.

Year-to-date, convention attendance is down 7.4 percent, to 1.03 million people from last year’s 1.11 million people at this point.

The number of conventions in February decreased 32 percent, to 1,348 shows from February 2012’s 1,983 shows.

Year-to-date, the number of shows is down 9.8 percent, to 3,135 from 3,476 last year.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.
com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.