Tourist numbers plummeted this summer in both Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with each city seeing millions fewer visitors.

Las Vegas recorded 4.56 million passengers for August – an almost six percent drop compared to the same month last year, according to numbers from the Harry Reid International Airport. Vegas has been losing around 300,000 visitors a month this year.

Jukka Laitamaki, a professor specializing in hospitality at New York University and an expert in the travel industry, shared insights with the Daily Mail regarding the downturn in tourism in these once-bustling U.S. destinations. He attributed the decline primarily to a shortfall in international tourists.

According to Laitamaki, factors such as political tensions, concerns over crime, and economic uncertainty are prompting international travelers to explore vacation spots outside the United States.

Laitamaki said: ‘People are concerned to come to the United States because of horror stories of being detained at the airport.

‘There’s a lot of uncertainty and then this whole trade war is also impacting this thinking.’

He explained that while 80 percent of US tourism is domestic, in many US cities international travelers make up for most of the tourism revenue. 

For example, he said international visitors equate to 20 percent of New York City’s visitors but rake in up to 50 percent of the revenue. 

Las Vegas saw 4.56 million passengers visit in August which was a drop of 6 percent compared to the same time last year. Women dressed as showgirls wave to visitors walking along the Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas has been losing more than 300,000 visitors per month this year. Visitors watch the fountain show at the Bellagio

Visit California has predicted that international visits will decline by 9.2 percent for 2025 and also attributed the impact of higher tariffs on the global economy and negative sentiment toward the US due to trade policies. 

Tourist heavy cities like Vegas and LA rely heavily on Canadian visitors with Canadians making up a quarter of visitors to the US overall.  

But Canadian visitors to the US have fallen by 17.7 percent from 9,914,672 last year to 8,162,134 as of June, per the U.S. International Trade Administration.

Most visitors, Canadians included, are finding what they’d usually look for in the US elsewhere, Laitamaki said. 

And as Canadians ditch US destinations, Laitamaki said Americans are looking to Canada to spend their vacations. 

Laitamaki said: ‘Visitors who want a sort of North American nature go to Canada. They welcome you.

‘For those wanting to have a beach vacation, they don’t go to Miami. They go to the Caribbean islands. Mexico has also taken a lot of those tourists.’ 

He said that in an increasingly digitized world, online gambling is drawing many tourists away from popular gambling destinations like Vegas. 

Visitors to California slumped over the summer. People take photos with the iconic Hollywood sign

Atlantic City is on the decline, with tourists going to more diversified destinations to get more bang for their buck, according Laitamaki

Jukka Laitamaki is a hospitality professor at New York University

He pointed to Atlantic City as another domestic destination that could be past its prime. 

He said: ‘I think the decline there is mainly because of increased competition and lack of diversifications of their product.’

The expert said the beach town now only offers services that visitors can get elsewhere, and its no longer worth the money for many people.

He said tourists seek something new and novel, an experience that will be worth their money. 

The key to keeping visitors interested and shooting back into popularity is adaptability, diversification, and making the vacation worth the money, Laitamaki believes. 

That’s why he says Vegas may not be down for long.

He said: ‘What I see now is people had a perception that it’s becoming expensive so Las Vegas [tourism authority] is running campaigns where it is emphasizing that you can find affordable hotels and affordable buffets.’ 

Las Vegas’s decline could be attributed to a lower demand for in-person gambling, thanks to an increasingly digitized world

Much of Los Angeles’s tourism dip has been attributed to recent wildfires

Tourism marketers are convincing travelers that their city is more than just gambling. There are sporting events to attend, shows to see, and resorts to stay at.

It wouldn’t be surprising if before long those numbers started shooting right back up, Laitamaki predicted.

Laitamaki added: ‘There is a cycle which is an economic cycle, but there are also these drastic [environmental] things. But it is an industry that always comes back.’

Much of Los Angeles decline has been attributed to natural disasters like wildfires, which many now popular spots have been able to recover from, with key marketing tactics.

Money from tourism can help cities recover after drastic events. So marketers draw in tourists who are willing to indirectly help them to ‘rebuild’.

New Orleans, for example, was able to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in part thanks to tourists, said Laitamaki.

He said New York City like London and Paris is a ‘Bucket List’ destination that will always have staying power. 

‘I think it’s probably the best tourism in the world when it comes to creative programming,’ he said. 

Some tourist destinations are evergreen and don’t have to worry about fluctuation as much like New York City

He explained the trick of consistency goes beyond the iconic nature of each of these cities. They work hard to continue to evolve with the global climate, travel trends and marketing tactics.

Even on the off seasons, New York City offers novel experiences that keep people coming. 

For everywhere else, Laitamaki said: ‘It is dependent on economic cycles or drastic changes in the environment. What we saw during 9/11, the 2008 recession, and the pandemic.’

A tourist spot’s ‘death’ isn’t caused by just one factor, and happens all the time around the world he said, but added ‘tourism is very resilient industry.’ 

Overall the US is predicted to lose around $12.5 billion in international tourism dollars this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. 

International visitor spending in America is projected to fall to just under $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024.