‘It’s pretty exciting’: How Area15 plans to attract more visitors to Vegas

Area15, the Las Vegas experiential and art immersion attraction celebrated its fourth anniversary in September, will expand by more than 35 acres with a hotel and housing units in addition to the Universal Destinations and Experiences’ Horror Unleashed themed attraction that will open next year.

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday tentatively approved an ordinance establishing a tourism improvement district. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Olivia Diaz and called the New Vegas Immersive Tourism District Project, was unanimously approved without debate and is scheduled for final approval Oct. 16.

A tourism improvement district is an economic development tool designed to attract retail outlets and grow visitation.

“There’s a lot coming, and it’s pretty exciting,” Area15 CEO Winston Fisher said in an interview with the Review-Journal.

“Las Vegas is one of the most creative towns in the world, so we’re just expanding on that. You might think we’re crazy, but we take creativity and storytelling really seriously and we’re a platform for storytellers to come to life.”

Horror Unleashed

That starts with Universal’s Horror Unleashed, expected to be open in time for Halloween 2025. While the company has similar attractions at theme parks worldwide, the Las Vegas version will be the first stand-alone horror attraction built.

Horror Unleashed will include interactive experiences year-round from the horror-film genre as well as some rides, Fisher said.

Because the infrastructure in the vicinity of the expansion supports mostly single-story buildings and what Area15 is proposing will have greater density than what exists, the proposed tourism improvement district will enable developers to use sales tax proceeds to support building the updated infrastructure.

In order to win approval, Area15 representatives appeared before the City Council and the Nevada Commission on Tourism in public hearings to convince them that the tourism-based project would bring in out-of-state visitors, new retail businesses, and would not take revenue from existing establishments.

The process to develop a tourism district began more than a year ago. Area15 hired Johnson Consulting Group to draft a report on the project’s magnitude. According to the study, the expansion of Area15 would add the 100,000-square-foot horror-themed immersive entertainment experience; 418,000 square feet of new retail space; 320,000 square feet of office space; a 200-room nongaming hotel; and 585 multifamily housing units that would be separate from the existing Area15 property, but a new residential neighborhood.

Expansion means growth

According to the study, by 2037, the prospective year of stabilization, the expanded attraction would add 6.9 million annual visitors, $796 million in annual on-site spending and $1.4 billion in indirect and induced spending, 4,086 jobs and $384 million in increased earnings, and $15.8 million in eligible sales tax revenue. The study said 56 percent of the spending would come from non-Nevada residents and there’d be no measurable displacement of sales and use tax projected.

The report also said there would be no additional stress on police and fire protection services.

Proponents of the improvement district appeared before the City Council Aug. 21 and the Commission on Tourism — led by Lt. Gov. and former City Councilman Stavros Anthony — on Sept. 11. Government officials unanimously approved the district with the council planning to introduce an ordinance establishing the new district in October.

Fisher, whose company has a 100-year track record of diverse real estate investments, said Area15 can help drive greater numbers of visitors to Las Vegas.

“We’re going to continue to curate and foster best-in-class experiences that want to be in Vegas and help Vegas continue (to grow),” Fisher said. “I said to somebody the other day why are we not going for 60 million visitors? Vegas could do it. Let’s not shoot for 42 to 45 (million), let’s shoot for 60.”

Young visitors

In its first four years of operation, Area15 has expanded the market, particularly for the younger visitors the city covets.

According to a 2024 year-to-date study conducted by Drive Research, Area15 has become a go-to destination for younger demographics visiting Las Vegas, particularly those aged 18 to 34. The study said 27 percent of visitors surveyed at Area15 were aged 18 to 24 and 42 percent were aged 25 to 34. Those figures starkly contrast with the broader Las Vegas visitor demographics surveyed by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. An LVCVA visitor profile said visitors aged 21 to 29 comprised just 12.7 percent of total visitors, and those aged 30 to 39 made up 28.3 percent.

“Four years ago, we set out to redefine what entertainment means in Las Vegas,” Fisher said. “Area15 has become the demonstrated thought leader for fusing immersive attractions and entertainment, and we’re elated to spearhead the future of the experience economy, making it the place to be for the next generation of Las Vegas visitors.”

Although Fisher said the goal is to complete the Area15 expansion as quickly as possible, representatives of the company told the City Council that the development pace, particularly for the hotel and housing units, would depend on regional economics and the success of the existing attractions and Horror Unleashed.

Area15 already is home to a variety of immersive experiences, including Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, Illuminarium, Five Iron Golf, Dueling Axes and Laser Maze.

Additional experiences coming soon include iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Lionsgate’s John Wick Experience, and Superplastic.

This article was updated with additional information on Oct. 2.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.