Las Vegas, renowned for its dazzling lights, world-class entertainment, and round-the-clock excitement, is facing an unexpected challenge in 2025: a significant drop in tourism. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), visitation through July of this year totaled about 22.64 million people, marking an 8% decline compared to the same period last year. This downturn has prompted both concern and innovation, as city leaders and businesses scramble to win back visitors who are increasingly wary of rising costs and unpredictable pricing.
The roots of the slump are complex, but rising costs and a proliferation of add-on fees have played a central role. As reported by The Times and The Independent, travelers are feeling squeezed by an array of charges—resort fees, parking fees, and even fluctuating prices for snacks and drinks in hotel lobby stores. The latter, known as dynamic pricing, has been particularly irksome for many guests. This system, already familiar to anyone who’s booked an airline ticket or hailed a ride with Uber, sees prices for items like candy bars and beverages shift depending on the time of day or demand levels. But in the context of a hotel convenience store, it’s left some visitors scratching their heads and clutching their wallets.
Consider the experience of Jon Dinkler, a Texan visitor who recounted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal how his wife paid $10 for a Snickers bar and a Gatorade at Caesars Palace, only for him to pay $14 for the very same items the next day. "How does the price of a Snickers bar and a Gatorade change?" he wondered aloud. Scott Rutledge, another guest, described paying one price for a can of Miller Lite in the afternoon at a casino hotel and "two or three dollars" more in the evening. The lack of visible, fixed price tags has only added to the confusion and frustration.
Michael Trager, a Vegas expert who runs the travel site TravelZork, has tracked the rise of dynamic pricing in hotel stores for several years. He told The Independent, "It's not appropriate. It's not like booking an airline ticket or hotel online where there is a price label to look at physically. When I go to a shop, I expect to see a clear price. Price tags allow consumers to make a choice about where they're going to shop." He added, "Even having scanners for you to check prices is not appropriate in my opinion." For retailers, algorithmic pricing is hard to resist—it can squeeze out every last dime of profit. But for visitors, it’s one more reason to feel nickel-and-dimed.
And the sticker shock isn’t limited to candy bars and beer. According to The Times, one visitor reported paying $40 for two coffees and two croissants on the Strip. Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor website and newsletter, summed up the sentiment: "On the Strip, people get taken for a ride. Once they get here, they're like, 'I'm tired of being treated like this. I'm tired of having to pay these ridiculous prices.' There are fees all over the place—fees to park, resort fees on top of room rates. And people are getting fed up with it. We hear that a lot from our customers."
The pain isn’t just financial. International visitor numbers have also taken a hit, in part due to what’s been dubbed the "Trump slump." High-profile deportation cases—such as German backpackers Charlotte Pohl and Maria Lepère, who were deported from Hawaii despite holding the required documentation—have made headlines and deterred some would-be tourists. Others, like Rebecca Burke from Wales and German Lucas Sielaff, faced lengthy detentions over visa mix-ups or overstays, further souring the mood among international travelers.
In response to the mounting challenges, Las Vegas has launched a bold new initiative: the "Fabulous 5-Day Sale." Kicking off on September 22, 2025, and running through Friday, September 26, this citywide promotion is the "first-ever Vegas-wide sale," according to the official tourism website. The goal? To lure back visitors with a slew of discounts, upgrades, resort fee matching, food and drink credits, and special attraction offers across a wide array of properties.
Some of the deals are eye-popping. Caesars Entertainment is offering up to 50% off room rates at Harrah’s, Flamingo, The LINQ, Horseshoe, and matching resort fees via food and beverage credits at Paris Las Vegas, Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, The Cromwell, and Caesars Palace itself. Planet Hollywood has suite rates and 50% off room rates with the code "LVSTE." Circa Resort & Casino features a $400 all-in price that includes a $100 dining credit, $100 beverage credit, and a daybed at Stadium Swim for a two-night stay. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the city's newest luxury resort, is offering 20% off, a complimentary nightly resort fee, a $50 daily food and beverage credit, and free parking.
Other notable offers include the Four Seasons Las Vegas, where guests can enjoy up to $500 in hotel credit for spa treatments, cabanas, and dining with a two-night minimum stay. The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino has a $200 all-in price that includes a $100 dining credit at Andiamo Steakhouse and access to Circa Resort’s Stadium Swim. MGM Resorts International is rolling out up to 50% off stays at properties like Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and New York-New York, along with up to 25% off and a $100 daily food and beverage credit at Aria, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, and Vdara.
Other participating properties include Palms Casino Resort, Resorts World Las Vegas, SAHARA Las Vegas, South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, The STRAT, The Venetian and Palazzo, and Treasure Island. Each is offering its own blend of discounts, waived fees, and credits—an effort to deliver "unbeatable value," as Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA, put it in a news release. "Las Vegas has always been about delivering unforgettable experiences at every price point and with the fabulous 5-day sale we’re doubling down on that promise and inviting travelers to plan their next escape at an unbeatable value."
The hope is that these aggressive promotions will reverse the recent slide in visitor numbers and restore some of Las Vegas’s lost luster. For travelers, it’s a rare opportunity to enjoy the city’s legendary hospitality at a fraction of the usual cost—provided they’re quick to act before the deals disappear. For the city’s hotels and casinos, it’s a reminder that in the battle for tourism dollars, transparency, value, and a little bit of old-fashioned Vegas showmanship can still go a long way.
With the "Fabulous 5-Day Sale" underway and industry leaders vowing to address visitor concerns, Las Vegas is betting big on a comeback. Whether the gamble pays off remains to be seen, but for now, the city is rolling out the red carpet and hoping the world takes notice.
