by Martin Palicki, InPark Magazine Publisher
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported a 11.3% decline in visitors to Las Vegas year-over-year for the month of June 2025. It continues a trend of negative numbers for every month in 2025, averaging out to a net loss of 7.3%.
Interestingly, gambling revenues were up 3.53% for the month, though year-to-date those numbers are still slightly down compared to 2024. Reasons for the decline depend on who you’re asking. Nevada’s Attorney General blames illegal online gaming for eating into gambling profits while others cite the city’s retreat from being a low-cost vacation spot. Some point to a decrease in Canadian tourists.
More importantly, is this a warning for the attractions industry of rough economic times to come? With the TEA Global Index report for 2025 still roughly a year from being published (2024 figures are due to be released by early October), we can only piece together what little data we have, including the Vegas visitor stats.
The second quarter report from Six Flags doesn’t offer much hope. Attendance was down 9% with a net loss of $100 million. It’s important to note the period ends in June, before the peak summer months. In fact, preliminary July numbers for Six Flags show a 1% increase in attendance, though a roughly 3% decrease in net revenues for the month compared to the same period in 2024.
In contrast, United Parks & Resorts, the owner of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks, reported a 0.8% increase in attendance for the second quarter, with a noted boost for their Orlando parks. However, revenue and net income decreased 1.5% and 12.1%, respectively, in Q2.
Both operators cite extreme weather as obstacles to growth, though perhaps there are larger issues at play, including reduced inbound international travel to the U.S. and general uncertainty about the economy. Whatever the reason, it is concerning to have major destinations like Vegas and Orlando – along with regional operator Six Flags – all reporting essentially flat or downward movement.
Whether these numbers represent a temporary dip or are in fact representative of a larger trend remains to be seen, and the effects might also be limited to North America. We won’t really know for certain until more reports are released and operators start to gather at the fall industry trade shows and start sharing anecdotes from the season.
What is more knowable at this point is that we are in a period of uncertainty, which can create changes in behavior for consumers, operators and suppliers. The good news is we’ve been in this position before – as recently as five years ago. If there’s one lesson we learned from the pandemic downturn, it’s that the facilities that continued to reinvest during the slower years rebounded the quickest – wise advice and a glimmer of hope for even the gloomiest of statistical reports.
