Mesquite’s visitors just keep coming as the total count of 100,708 people shows from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority report for August. It’s the eighth month in a row for a six-figure count even though it was the lowest number so far this year.
August’s visitor volume is up 8 percent over August 2015.
Only two other categories showed positive increases though in the rest of the LVCVA report. Total occupancy increased 1.7 percent hitting 69.8 percent from last year’s 68.1 percent. Total room nights occupied also rose 1.8 percent to 36,676, a slight increase from 36,015 last August.
Gross gaming revenues stayed statistically even in Mesquite at $8.077 million, decreasing a thousand dollars from last year’s $8.078 million. It’s the lowest monthly gambling take this year but the category still remains in the black at a 2 percent increase over this time last year.
Gaming revenues for all of Clark County decreased -6.8 percent with the Las Vegas Strip leading the way at -14.8 percent. LVCVA says the decline was due to lower baccarat volume and one fewer weekend in the month. Gaming revenues for downtown Las Vegas rose 7 percent and the Boulder Strip jumped 22.2 percent. Gross gaming revenues for Laughlin also showed a 2.7 percent increase.
The average daily room rate in Mesquite fell -5.4 percent coming in at $48.97. That compares to last August’s rate of $51.75. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) also dropped -3.0 percent to $34.18. Last year RevPAR hit $35.24 in August.
Average daily auto traffic at the Nevada Arizona border increased 6.6 percent to 27,544 vehicles passing through Mesquite every day.
Visitor volumes for Mesquite’s sister city on the river, Laughlin, fell 2.2 percent year-to-year. Total occupancy also fell -0.1 percent to 63.0 percent along with total room nights occupied that dropped -1.2 percent.
On the positive side, the average daily room rate in Laughlin increased 5.8 percent to $53.24 over last August. RevPAR also increase 5.6 percent to $33.54 from last year.
Airplane passengers in Laughlin fell a whopping -18.3 percent but average daily auto traffic on Highway 163 made up for some of that by increasing 13.0 percent.
Auto traffic on all major highways into Las Vegas increased 3.6 percent. However, the LVCVA attributed a -1.1 percent decline on the I-15 at the Nevada California border in part to road closures on Aug. 16-18 related to wildfires.
