Paul Szydelko
Las Vegas' year-end tourism numbers for 2023 show a steady improvement since Covid-19 shut down the Strip and stifled visitation in the wake of the pandemic's travel restrictions.
Perhaps the biggest, most important number recently released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority: 40.8 million people visited Las Vegas in 2023, a 5.2% increase over 2022. The record annual visitation is 42.9 million in 2016; 42.5 million visited in 2019, the last year before Covid-19 affected travel.
The year included the inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix in late November, the launch of the Sphere and the December opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
• Related: A first look at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Convention attendance was just shy of 6 million in 2023, a 19.9% increase over 2022.
• Cover story: Vegas raises the stakes on meetings
Southern Nevada welcomed more than 4.7 million international visitors last year, a 39% increase from 2022 but still about 84% of prepandemic levels.
The average daily room rate for the year was a record $191.29, an 11.9% jump over the previous year. Hotel occupancy in Las Vegas averaged 83.5 percent, up 4.3 percent from 2022.
Harry Reid Airport
Harry Reid Airport shattered the previous record for passengers, set just one year earlier.
The airport served 57.6 million passengers, 9.4% more than the previous record of 52.6 million in 2022. It had actually eclipsed the record before December numbers were even in.
Eleven of the 12 months in 2023 set records for that month. October 2023 set the record for the busiest month ever with 5.4 million passengers.
The number of passengers on international flights surpassed the three million threshold for the first time since 2019 with 3.3 million.
"Setting a new annual record emphasizes the strength of air travel in Las Vegas and the faith in Harry Reid International Airport to deliver on a world-class customer experience," said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County director of aviation.
Gaming numbers
Casinos broke the state's annual gaming revenue record for the third consecutive year.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported casinos statewide collected $15.5 billion in gaming revenue in 2023, a 4.6% increase over 2022. Strip casinos reported a record $8.9 billion in revenue, a 7.4% increase over 2022. The Strip accounted for more than 57% of the statewide total.
Casinos statewide produced revenue records in nine of the 12 months in 2023.