July 4th is on a Thursday this year. Expect big crowds in Las Vegas anyway
About 332,000 tourists are expected to visit Las Vegas and surrounding areas for the Independence Day holiday weekend, hospitality industry officials said.
The visitor estimation is 3.1 percent higher than the total during the five-day holiday weekend last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. This year’s four-day weekend is projected to generate $418.7 million in direct spending and $692.9 million in indirect spending, estimates show. Last year’s holiday brought about $372.7 million in direct spending to the market.
Visitors will have plenty to do while in town throughout the holiday week. Special events include a Blink-182 concert on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena; Dead and Company’s residency at the Sphere Thursday through Saturday; Las Vegas Aces games between the WNBA opponents the Indiana Fever on Tuesday and Washington Mystics on Thursday; among other DJ sets, shows and residencies.
Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, said when Independence Day is on a weekday, it can create softer demand compared to when it falls a weekend, Friday or Monday. But inflation and high-profile events throughout the week could contribute to higher spending in Las Vegas.
“Inflation has started to impact tourism spend, and Las Vegas has seen some of this,” Belarmino said in an email. “However, having the Tropicana off the market should help to elevate the citywide ADR as that was more of a value property. We have also seen a shift since the pandemic in the overall profile of our visitors, and they are visitors who have a higher disposable income. Therefore, these seem to be reasonable numbers.”
Holiday room rates
Occupancy is estimated to reach 91.5 percent for the four-day weekend, Thursday through Sunday. But for last-minute travelers, there are still plenty of properties around the Las Vegas Valley still offering hotel rooms – and some with discounts.
The average room reservations begin at about $321.90 for stays from Thursday to Sunday, according to a review of 51 available properties listed on online travel agency Hotels.com and direct booking websites as of Friday morning. Those do not include taxes and resort fees and prices can still fluctuate based on demand.
Some of the most affordable properties on the Strip include Circus Circus with reservations beginning at $110, the Strat for $168, Excalibur for $215 and Treasure Island for $218. On the higher end, The Venetian’s rooms begin at $477, Wynn and Encore rooms are available beginning at $542, and several suites at Skylofts at MGM Grand are listed for $1,476 nightly.
Traveling to Vegas
The long weekend is expected to spur a big leap in summertime travel across the country, according to AAA. It projects nearly 71 million people will travel 50 or more miles away from home between Saturday and Sunday, July 7 – a 5 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Las Vegas is among the top 10 domestic destinations for AAA travelers, according to its booking data.
Airlines expect high travel numbers, too. Harry Reid International Airport estimates 430,000 arriving passengers between Wednesday and Sunday, spokesperson Monika Bertaki said in an email.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
