January visitor count starts new year in the right way

The number of visitors in Mesquite for January barely got in the six-digit numbers but was enough for a 2.2 percent gain year over year. January 2017 saw 98,600 people visiting Mesquite. That number hit 100,700 this year.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority report had more good news for Mesquite’s tourism industry with a 4.0 percent gain in total occupancy for all hotel rooms hitting 69.2 percent. That’s up from 65.2 percent last year.

Average daily room rate was the only category in the LVCVA report that showed negative numbers when it dropped from $58.70 last year to $57.51 this year. However, revenue per available room (RevPAR) showed a nice 4.0 percent increase from $38.27 in 2017 to $39.80 this year.

Total room nights occupied rose 5.6 percent from 38,500 last year to 40,700 this year.

Gross gaming revenues increased 4.5 percent hitting $11.009 million this year compared to $10.531 million gaming take in January 2017. That was the second highest percentage increase at all reporting stations in Clark County. Only the Boulder Strip had a higher percentage increase at 6.8 percent.

Gaming revenues on the Las Vegas Strip declined 8.9 percent while downtown Las Vegas gaming had a slight 1.8 percent increase. Laughlin gaming revenues increased 3.5 percent. Combined gaming revenues in all of Clark County declined 3.7 percent.

Visitor volumes for Las Vegas declined 3.3 percent from January 2017 counting 3.394 million people.

In Laughlin, visitor volumes increased 3.8 percent from last year with 148,400 people hitting the river town.

Total occupancy increased 4.0 percent to 59.0 percent, ADR increased 2.9 percent to $41.62 and RevPAR jumped 10.3 percent to $24.56. Total room nights occupied rose 6.6 percent to 180,400.

Airplane passengers in Laughlin also jumped 13.8 percent to 21,268 while average daily auto traffic also increased 8.2 percent to 4,423 vehicles crossing the Arizona Nevada border on Highway 163.

Average daily auto traffic in Mesquite at the I-15 Nevada Arizona border increased 7.9 percent to 24,121 vehicles a day. Daily auto traffic at the I-15 Nevada California order increased 4.4 percent to 39,003 vehicles. Traffic into Las Vegas on all major highways increased 4.8 percent in a year over year comparison.