Popular and 'unique' US hotspot is 'dying' as tourists are priced out

A famous American city is thought to be 'dying' as tourist numbers rapidly drop (file) (Image: Getty)

A popular hotspot in the US is facing dwindling tourist numbers.

Las Vegas is an internationally famous major resort city, known for its gambling, entertainment, fine dining and nightlife. It is the most populous city in the state of Nevada and has provided the setting for a number of Hollywood films, such as Ocean’s Eleven, The Hangover and What Happens in Vegas.

However, tourism in this famous American destination is declining with experts shedding light on why. This issue was highlighted by Race Across The World winner, Alfie Watts, who went to Las Vegas to find out the cause of the decrease in visitors.

He filmed his recent trip to the city and shared this on TikTok. The BBC TV star said: “Vegas tourism is falling off a cliff and I went to find out why.

“This city is a neon soaked fever dream of excess. You can have dinner in Paris, cocktails in Venice and you’ll lose all of your money in New York all before midnight.”

Las Vegas has hotels based on Paris, Venice and New York that have been designed to look like these places. Watts added: “It’s outrageous and it’s unique but it is still incredible but back in the day the whole point of Vegas was that you didn’t have to be rich to live like it for a weekend.”

During the first six months of this year, the number of visitors to Las Vegas was down about 7.3 per cent compared with the same time a year ago and June alone saw a drop of 11 per cent, according to Investopedia. Watts believes the rise in costs for hotels and food and drink has led to this decrease in tourists.

He explained: “It used to be the ultimate weekend blow-out, the wild stag do’s, the girls’ trips, the spontaneous getaway where you came back sunburnt, broke but buzzing. Now, it’s priced itself into special occasion only territory and when the magic costs that much, people start asking if they can get it cheaper somewhere else.”

The TV star and established travel content creator claimed that hotel rooms that “once cost next to nothing” are now similar to the price of a city break in Paris. He continued: “Thirty years ago Vegas was the spot for outrageous fun but now you can get a similar weekend in Dubai, Ibiza and Cancun, and very often for half the price.”

However, he admitted that Las Vegas still has its own allure with the shining lights, energy, events that will “blow your mind”, food from the world’s top chefs and the chance to dance at 4am in a hotel lobby “shaped like ancient Rome.”

Watts concluded: “Vegas is still a glitter cannon in the desert. It’s just that these days the glitter’s a little bit more unappealing because it’s a lot more expensive.”

Investopedia cited other factors pulling visitors away from Las Vegas, including a decline in flights into the US from Canada and other countries partially due to rising tensions from trade disputes between the Trump administration and foreign governments. Another influence could be technology as sports betting apps and online gaming mean people no longer need to travel to Las Vegas to gamble.

In the caption of his TikTok post, Watts claimed that Las Vegas is “dying” and international arrivals are “tanking.” The clip has garnered several comments with viewers sharing their thoughts.

One said: “The millennials don't gamble and if they do, it’s online and they also are smart with their money, they're not going to go somewhere where they have to pay this, that and [the] other.” Another added: “Ridiculous ’resort fees’ and the outrageous tipping culture isn’t very attractive when everything else is getting more expensive.”

A third stated: “No one under 40 cares about Vegas.” A different viewer suggested: “Downtown Vegas is the place to be. Cheaper rooms, food and drink.”