Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority releases 2021 visitation data

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas welcomed more than 32 million visitors in 2021, according to research published today by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Visitation for the year significantly increased from 2020 visitation of 19 million visitors and was down only 24 percent below the 2019 pre-pandemic recorded visitation of 42 million visitors, as pent-up demand for leisure travel continued to spur the destination’s recovery.

With world-class dining, sporting events and Only Vegas experiences center stage paired with nearly 150,000 hotel rooms throughout the destination, overall hotel occupancy approached 67 percent for the year. Weekend visitation also experienced strong recovery, averaging 81 percent for the year. Midweek occupancy reached 60 percent as the tradeshow industry continues to recover.

In addition to strong leisure travel, an estimated 2.2 million convention attendees were hosted throughout Las Vegas since in-person tradeshows returned to the destination in June 2021, reigniting the meeting and convention industry.

Since June, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) hosted 52 trade shows and events with more than 700,000 attendees, demonstrating the value of conducting business in-person and showcasing confidence by tradeshow organizers that meetings can be held safely and efficiently. This included the return of hallmark tradeshows such as World of Concrete in June, which represented the first major tradeshow to reconvene in U.S. since the start of the pandemic, and SEMA, an automotive industry trade show that attracted more than 100,000 attendees.

For 26 consecutive years, Las Vegas remains the number one trade show destination in North America, according to the Trade Show News Network (TSNN), the world's leading resource for the trade show, exhibition and event industry.

The year saw the debut of new venues, including Resorts World and Virgin Hotels, as well as the West Hall, the LVCC’s $1 billion expansion, and the Convention Center Loop, the Boring Company’s innovative underground transportation system beneath the convention center. The LVCVA Board of Directors also approved approximately $27 million in investments to bring special events to Las Vegas through June 2022. And the destination shows no signs of slowing down. It is poised to host the and NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in February and the NFL Draft at iconic areas throughout Las Vegas in April. Las Vegas will also host the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in 2024.