Over the past few months, visitor numbers have been increasing in Las Vegas. Casinos started offering 100% capacity just a short time ago and with the Memorial Day weekend and summer vacations starting up, it looks like Sin City is going to be a hot travel destination once again. According to the American Automobile Association, the city was one of the top destinations for the Memorial Day weekend.
Busy Time
During the Memorial Day weekend, the city was bustling with traffic. It was so busy that the weekend ended with a traffic jam on the freeway heading into Southern California. As travelers headed back to cities like Los Angeles from Las Vegas, Interstate 15 was subject to traffic jams, some 26 miles long.
It was not a good time to be stuck in traffic either, as temperatures hit the 100-degree mark on Memorial Day. The busy traffic was a result of the holiday weekend and the casinos in Clark County reopening at 100% capacity. For over a year, the properties have been operating at a much lower capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Only venues with permission from the Nevada Gaming Control Board can operate at 100% capacity. Operators who were able to vaccinate most employee numbers were invited to get back to normal. With more vaccinations taking place, regulators feel more at ease with allowing properties to offer full-service options.
Just this past weekend, Interstate 15 shut down again, this time with traffic coming to a halt for more than three hours at Tropicana Avenue. The issue started around 5:30 pm and traffic did not start moving at a regular pace until around 9 pm.
As for the reason why traffic was at a standstill, local media reported that police activity was to blame. Police officers were seen in the area during the traffic jam.
More Tourism Expected as Fourth of July Nears
With less than a month to go, the Fourth of July holiday is also expected to be a busy time in Las Vegas. Currently, seven resorts located on the Las Vegas Strip have announced celebrations for the holiday with firework shows planned.
The Strat, Treasure Island, The Venetian, Resorts World Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and the Aria are all taking part. Resorts World will be celebrating the holiday just days after launching on June 24.
It seems that the demand to visit Las Vegas is there and travelers are starting to head in as casinos reopen at 100% while on vacation or for a weekend getaway. It is expected that the Fourth of July will be an extremely busy time with travelers coming from across the US to enjoy the festivities.
Earlier in the year, the recovery process seemed to be at a standstill. However, once vaccines were rolled out nationally and stimulus checks began to show up in bank accounts, the state started seeing business once again.
For two months running, Las Vegas Valley saw over two million visitors travel to the region. The airport also saw an increase in passenger totals that signals to experts that the recovery process is well underway.
