Las Vegas visitation fell nearly 8 percent in March, and the top research analyst for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) pointed Tuesday to uncertainty brought by Trump administration policies.

Southern Nevada drew almost 3.4 million visitors during the month, down from almost 3.7 million in March 2024. 

For the first three months of 2025, Las Vegas visitation is down almost 7 percent compared to 2024, with declines in all three months — the first time that has taken place since the pandemic. Southern Nevada saw a 12 percent drop in visitation in February, which was attributed to the oversized crowd that came to Las Vegas a year earlier when the city hosted Super Bowl LVIII.

Analysts attribute much of this March’s fall-off to declines in international travel. 

LVCVA Vice President of Research Kevin Bagger said in a statement that the market is facing “unclear impacts of evolving federal policies rippling through international and domestic markets.” 

Bagger did not provide additional details, and an LVCVA spokeswoman said the agency does not yet have any data for April.

In his monthly statement, Bagger said Las Vegas also had a smaller special event calendar than a year ago. The Las Vegas area still saw a 10 percent increase in convention business in the month, but that was just 534,000 total attendees. 

Overall hotel occupancy declined 2 percent, but the market was able to increase the average daily room rate by 3 percent to $183.86.

Macquarie Securities gaming analyst Chad Beynon wrote in a research note that Strip resort operators “are cautiously optimistic” that Strip visitation numbers would improve the rest of the year. Beynon said resort operators have pointed toward increased convention and group business bookings through the end of the year, and several resorts are completing projects to refurbish their hotel rooms and add new non-gaming amenities such as restaurants.   

But that sentiment doesn’t carry over to international visitation.

According to analysts at the financial investment website Seeking Alpha, the Strip is facing weak Asian tourism trends this year as several countries issued travel advisories for the U.S., such as higher costs and difficulties returning home after visiting. 

Analysts cited anecdotal evidence that Asian travelers are delaying or reconsidering trips because of the warnings and the current U.S. political climate. 

It comes on top of a general decline in international travel since the pandemic. U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman, in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, said 72 million international visitors came to the U.S. last year, down from 79 million in pre-pandemic 2019. Freeman, the former CEO of the American Gaming Association, said travel from Canada, South America, and Europe has dropped significantly in recent months because of increased travel costs. 

He cautioned that it could lead the U.S. and Las Vegas to lose out during major events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

"What's the plan to really unlock that opportunity rather than be in the situation we’re in where [international visitors] choose to go spend their money elsewhere?"

The LVCVA does not break out international tourism figures monthly, but CEO Steve Hill has said 12 percent of the total annual visitation to Southern Nevada comes from international markets.

Harry Reid International Airport reported last week that the facility had its second-straight monthly passenger decline during March, with volume down 3.7 percent compared with the first three months of 2024. International passenger volume fell less than 1 percent, but the largest drop-off came from Canada’s three major airlines with service to Las Vegas.