Leaving Las Vegas! Fewer Californians are visiting Sin City. Here’s what the numbers say

If you spend any time on social media, it’s hard to avoid the scorching hot takes about Las Vegas’ recent financial struggles.

Vegas critics say the exorbitant resort fees are brutal, the ever-increasing parking costs are punishing, the comps are few and far between — and did you notice the buffets are vanishing?

In short, Vegas is on a losing streak.

After fighting to bounce back from COVID-19 closures, Sin City is facing financial headwinds as fewer people, particularly Californians, are visiting, playing and ultimately spending money.

My colleague Terry Castleman dived into some theories, but also, as Terry does well, dug into the numbers to tell the tale of Vegas’ sudden crap out.

How do Californians figure into Vegas’ struggle?

Visits to Las Vegas were down 11.3% in June 2025 versus a year earlier, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Traffic on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border was down 4.3% over the same period, suggesting fewer visitors doing road trips from the Golden State to Vegas casinos.

The number of air travelers into Las Vegas overall declined 6.3% over the previous June. In 2024, Californians made up more than a fifth of air travelers into Vegas, with nearly half of those coming from the Los Angeles metro area.

A demographic report from the visitors authority estimated that Southern California provided 30% of all visitors to the city in 2024.

Add it all up, and Californians could be responsible for a significant portion of the decline in Vegas tourism.

How do the numbers look internationally?

Tourism within the U.S. is only part of the picture, though, as experts previously predicted we are also seeing a slump in international tourism to the U.S. The convention and visitors authority estimates that 12% of the city’s visitors are international.

A report from the World Travel and Tourism Council projected that the U.S. would lose $12.5 billion in international travel spending in 2025.

“While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign,” Julia Simpson, the council’s president, said in a statement.

The report cited air-travel booking data from March that showed a 15% to 20% drop in expected travel from major tourism sources, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.

What about Mexico and Canada?

Visitors from Canada and Mexico made up more than half of international visitors to Las Vegas in 2024, according to data from the visitors authority.

But President Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state and his decision to hit Canada with tariffs have not endeared him to Canadian travelers. Meanwhile, media overseas have been bombarded with stories of capricious denials and detentions of travelers at U.S. border crossings.

Apparently, Mexican and Canadian tourists are not feeling so welcome in the U.S. these days.

What’s next?

“Las Vegas thrives on tourism,” Rep. Steven Horsford wrote last week on X, “but under the Trump slump, the numbers are tanking.” Horsford, a Democrat, represents Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, which includes a portion of Las Vegas.

By many metrics — including visitor totals, convention attendance and room occupancy rates — Las Vegas has not fully recovered from the onset of the pandemic.

In dollar terms, however, Sin City continues to profit even as visitor numbers drop: Clark County, which includes Vegas, collected $1.16 billion in gambling revenue in June 2025, up 3.5% from a year earlier.

So, Vegas’ luck has not run out yet.

For more, check out the full article here.

The week’s biggest stories

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Canyon and Los Angeles-area fires

• Canyon fire forces thousands of evacuations, at least two structures burned.
• Canyon fire: Evacuation zones, road closures, shelters.
• California wildfires map.
• Hundreds of deaths may be linked to the Eaton and Palisades fires, new study suggests.
• Homeowners say the Army Corps and its contractors mishandled L.A. fire debris cleanup.

Trump administration policy and reactions

• As more citizens are swept up in immigration raids, Democrats demand answers.
• ‘They run, we chase’: Immigration raids test limits of ‘probable cause.’
• UC says Trump’s demand for $1-billion fine would ‘completely devastate’ university system.
• California EV drivers could lose their carpool lane privileges in September.

Crime, courts and policing

• Masked robber put L.A. family in boarded-up closet. DNA revealed he was no stranger.
• ‘The Mandalorian’ actor Gina Carano and Disney settle lawsuit over alleged wrongful termination.
• Ex-LAPD officer arrested on suspicion of home burglaries in area he once patrolled.
• Russian superyacht, with helideck and marble fireplace, was seized. Now you can bid on it.

In memoriam

• Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and father of her two children, dead at 48.
• Grandson of SoCal surfing legend dies after e-bike accident.
• Beach Boys’ Mike Love on the legacy of Brian Wilson: ‘He’s with us every night in the music.’

More big stories

• Law firm in L.A. homelessness case bills the city $1.8 million for two weeks’ work.
• Sydney Sweeney now has the Proud Boys in her corner, says defaced billboard in Corona.
• Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis drops out of governor’s race, pivots to run for treasurer.
• Mother rescues her 6-year-old son from coyote attack at SoCal park.
• Late-night leader Greg Gutfeld reminds fellow host Jimmy Fallon about their drunken first meeting.
• Rescuers pried a woman out of the chimney of an L.A.-area rec center. She was back the next day

This week’s must reads

Climate & Environment

At Mono Lake, visitors witness the stark toll of L.A.’s water use

Los Angeles has taken a lot of water from Mono Lake over decades by tapping into creeks that flow into it. In shoreline tours, guides impress on visitors just how much higher the lake should be.

Aug. 8, 2025

More great reads

• The Mexican Mafia Tapes: Secret recordings reveal greed, betrayal — and a deal with the feds.
• Someone keeps stealing, flying, fixing and returning this California man’s plane. But why?
• Hollywood is being reshaped by generative AI. What does that mean for screenwriters?
• Famine’s toll on the children of Gaza: The world shouldn’t look away.
• Meet the 24-year-old designer who’s becoming the face of avant-garde fashion in L.A.

For your weekend

(Giordano Poloni / For The Times)

Going out

• Chill out: L.A. heat getting to you? Cool off at one of these 20 hotel pools offering day passes.
• Find your zen: This hidden rural oasis makes for a splendid day trip — and it’s just an hour from L.A.
• Food Review: Can a star Venice chef make lightning strike twice with his izakaya dream project?
• Smell the bread: Eight bakeries with globally inspired croissants that are uniquely L.A.

Staying in

• Streaming Review: Thinking about ‘Wednesday’ as the weekend hits, plus what to stream.
• Book Review: Alcatraz is home to the last remaining zoo in Emma Sloley’s resilient ‘Island of Last Things.’
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for Sang Yoon’s Egg Salad Sando.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff writer
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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