Perhaps calendar year 2017 was just too good when visitor counts set new highs almost every month making comparisons of this year to last unfair.

The number of visitors coming to Mesquite fell in July for the second straight month and fourth month of the year compared to last year’s count by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

July 2017 saw 123,200 people coming to Mesquite. This year the number fell to 112,600 resulting in an 8.6 percent drop. That follows June’s 5.6 percent decline.

Mesquite wasn’t the only locale to suffer declines in visitor counts as Laughlin fell 4.4 percent and Las Vegas was down 3.4 percent in year-over-year comparisons.

Total occupancy rates in Mesquite fell 4.5 percent to 77.0 percent leading to a 3.4 percent drop in revenue per available room (RevPAR) which came in at $41.56 and a 5.5 percent fall in total room nights occupied at 45,500.

On the hotelier side, the only positive number in the LVCVA report was for average daily room rate (ADR) which increased 2.2 percent to $53.98.

July’s gross gaming revenues in Mesquite increased 5.9 percent to $9.519 million. Laughlin’s gaming revenues increased 1.8 percent. The Las Vegas Strip saw a 5.7 decline in its gaming revenues while Downtown Las Vegas rose 8.2 and the Boulder Strip jumped 18.5 percent. With all reporting locations totaled, Clark County had a 1.1 percent decline in overall gross gaming revenues.

Average daily auto traffic on I-15 at the Nevada Arizona border increased 1.9 percent to 31,630 vehicles every day. The daily traffic counts on I-15 at the Nevada California border dropped 2.0 percent while the traffic counts on all major highways leading into Las Vegas were down 1.3 percent.

Traffic counts on Highway 163 between Arizona and Laughlin fell 1.3 percent and airplane passengers in and out of Laughlin dropped 4.6 percent.

Laughlin also showed declines in the rest of its hotel-related numbers. Total occupancy was down 1.7 percent, ADR dropped a miniscule 0.1 percent, RevPAR fell 2.3 percent and total room nights occupied declined 3.0 percent.