Welcome to Las Vegas where dynamic pricing and discount sales are driving customers away

As tourism to Las Vegas continues to decline, hotels in the desert destination might do well to reflect on Westgate Resorts’ Responsible Gaming Statement, which says it’s a myth to believe that your luck will change if you are on a losing streak. Yet it appears that beleaguered hospitality businesses in Sin City are continuing to bet on turning their fortunes around, applying cut-price sales and controversial dynamic pricing methods to attract and squeeze as much as possible out of visitors.

Las Vegas visitor numbers fell nearly eight per cent from January to July 2025, with June and July figures down 11% and 12% respectively year-on-year, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Amid generalised woes for the United States tourism sector, as international visitor spending is forecast to drop six per cent to $169 billion (€145 billion) in 2025, down from $181 billion (€155 billion) in 2024, the former undisputed entertainment capital of the world is suffering alongside destinations as far and wide as Texas, California, and Florida. The absence of Canadian visitors, who have stayed away en masse in response to President Trump’s foreign policies, is of concern, as are travel warnings for the US from a suite of source markets, and rising travel authorisation fees.

🇺🇸 Las Vegas June tourism declines by 11% from 2024.

— World of Statistics (@stats_feed) August 4, 2025

As a result, Las Vegas is on the offensive. September 2025 has seen its tourism agency promoting a never-before-seen (and increasingly desperate-sounding) $35-million (€30-million) “Welcome to Fabulous” campaign and a “Fabulous 5-Day Sale.” It has issued a “citywide invitation to visitors to rediscover the magic, energy and unbeatable value of Las Vegas.” At least 75 hotels and resorts have agreed to participate, including big names such as the Bellagio and the Venetian, offering double-digit room discounts and beverage and meal vouchers.

But will the customers bite? While visitors who spoke to Fox News differed on how busy they were finding the city, others are reporting a widespread weariness with what is perceived as a rip-off culture. Anthony Curtis, of the Las Vegas Advisor, told The Independent: “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.”

Curtis also derided the dynamic pricing strategy applied in many Las Vegas hotel boutiques, which means customers can pay wildly different prices for the same products depending on the time and date of their visit. It’s a technique familiar to Uber ride hailers but less commonly seen in bricks-and-mortar establishments. TravelZork’s Michael Trager, also speaking to The Independent, condemns the practice as inappropriate. “When I go to a shop,” he said, “I expect to see a clear price. Price tags allow consumers to make a choice about where they’re going to shop.”

The consensus is that visitors to the city are increasingly surprised by prices that don’t appear consistent or as advertised. For a destination whose appeal to today’s younger, more-conscious consumer is, some say, waning, alienating an already-shrinking customer base seems like a risky wager.