Additional evidence of the tourism slump is coming from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Last year, it says the visitor count was about 37.5 million, down 4.4 percent from 2007 when an estimated 39 million people visited Las Vegas. News 3’s Steve Crupi digs deeper into how the hotels are dealing with the decline.
The Las Vegas Strip is offering some unheard of incentives. Tuesday, Harrah’s Entertainment announced that on top of cheap room rates, the company will begin giving away up to $300 in airline credits to customers who book a return visit to Las Vegas.
Normally, receiving an airline comp is a privilege reserved for a casino’s best customers. But now, just about anyone can cash in on the slow economy. The goal is to fill the gaming tables and keep the Las Vegas economy from slipping any further.
“Get Your Wings” is the name of the airfare promotion. If you say for three nights at a Harrah’s property in Las Vegas, you can get up to $300 toward your flight on a return visit.
“These rates are as low as $38,” says Suzanne Trout, Harrah’s Entertainment. “(It’s) two trips for the price of one, really.”
Every hotel in Las Vegas is feeling the pressure. Hooters Hotel’s new walking billboards are another example of the steps companies are taking to attract customers.
“How competitive is it these days? Grab for as many people as they can get,” says Matthew Desvio, Hooters Casino.
Even the newest and fanciest hotels are offering tremendous bargains. At the Trump Tower, you can find rooms for $109 that include a $50 credit for the spa.
And $6 per night isn’t even the cheapest we’ve seen; in December, the hotels in Primm were offering “free” rooms to locals willing to make the drive down I-15 to the state line.
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