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Tourism in Las Vegas continues to decline — with just over 3 million visitors in September, an 8.8% decrease from the same time last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA).
Rick Harrison of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas told Fox News Digital in an interview that a lot of people “have been beating up on Vegas.”
But “it’s Vegas,” he said. “It is the entertainment capital of the world. I think we have more five-star restaurants than any city in the United States. There’s something for every price point.”
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Harrison added, “A lot of people are saying tourism is down in Las Vegas … because the prices are too expensive. And that might be part of it.”
September’s low visitor numbers are attributed to “slower midweek volumes,” according to the LVCA.
A famous tourist stop thanks to the show “Pawn Stars,” Harrison’s shop attracts about 1,200 visitors per day, he said.
“I’d say probably 40% to 50% of the people I get are international. But a big part of it is, we’re not getting the Asian tourists” right now, said Harrison.
He attributes that to “economic reasons in their country, not necessarily ours,” he said.
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This past July, there were 3,089,300 visitors compared to over 3.5 million at that same time last year, while occupancy on the Strip dropped 7% from 86.5% last year.
Harrison says businesses on the Strip need to be more upfront about their pricing.
“That’s what pisses people off — when you go to check out, and it was $149 a night. … You have the tax, the hotel tax, and you have a resort fee, and you have the parking fee and … and now it’s $300 a night or $400 a night, and that pisses people off.”
“Be upfront with the prices, OK?” said Harrison.
“I’ve never had a surprise fee [for customers of] the pawn shop because if I did, I wouldn’t be in business long,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is returning to the Vegas Strip later this month, from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22.
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Last year, reported attendance for race weekend was 306,000 people, according to F1 Destinations.
Las Vegas Grand Prix corporate affairs senior vice president Lori Nelson-Kraft told the Las Vegas Sun in Nov. 2024, “The scale and scope and complexity of our different fan zones and activations and the live entertainment that’s fused together with the thrill of that one is really just creating a lot of excitement for our guests, and that’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what we’re hearing.”
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