Las Vegas visitation ticking up at the end of 2013

In the 11th hour, Las Vegas’ 2013 visitation ticked up past 2012 with a slight increase.

Through November, visitation is up 0.1 percent to 36.71 million people year-to-date, compared to the 36.69 million who visited during the same time period in 2012, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s monthly count released Monday. Month-over-month, November’s visitation was up 4.6 percent to 3.24 million visitors compared to 3.1 million in November 2012.

Las Vegas’ occupancy numbers, too, are rising at the end of 2012.

Citywide occupancy is up at 85.3 percent through November compared to 2012’s 85.1 percent. As for hotel occupancy, stays at the larger properties dipped to bring the year-to-date total to 88.1 percent from 2012’s 88.2 percent. Motel occupancy was up at 60.7 percent, compared with last year’s 58.2 percent.

Total year-over-year weekend occupancy was up to 91.9 percent compared with 2012’s 91.6 percent; weekday stays were up at 82.4 percent from last year’s 82.3 percent through November.

Overall Strip occupancy was down year-to-date at 87.7 percent compared to 2012’s 88 percent while downtown’s year-over-year occupancy is down from 2012’s 76.9 percent to 75.8 percent through November.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is citing one extra weekend day in November as helping increase the monthly visitation numbers. Also the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon fell in November this year as opposed to December in 2012, and the SEMA trade show was in November this year instead of October as it was last year.

Room prices rose in November, with the average daily room rate at $109.27, an increase from November 2012’s $104. Year-to-date, the average daily room rate is $111.32, up from last year’s $108.55. On the Strip, the average daily rate increased a healthy 7.7 percent month-over-month to $119.61 from November 2012’s $111.11. Year-over-year Strip rates are up 2.8 percent to $120.11 from $116.80 in 2012.

Downtown, average daily rates were down 5.2 percent in November to $61.28 from $64.66 last year. Year-to-date, the rate is up 5.7 percent to $68.66 from $64.97 in 2012.

November’s convention attendance dropped 2.6 percent to 426,762 people compared to the 438,330 who attended shows in 2012. The number of conventions and meetings held was down 8.8 percent to 1,731 events from 1,899 in November 2012. Year-over-year convention attendance is up 3.4 percent to 4.96 million from 2012’s 4.8 million. The number of events is up 2 percent to 20,880 from 20,476.

The average daily number of vehicles coming into Las Vegas was 98,009 in November, up 3 percent from 95,111 a year ago. The number coming from Southern California on Interstate 15 increased 7 percent to 41,418 from 38,692 a year ago.

Elsewhere in Clark County, the number of Laughlin visitors was down 0.9 percent in November, while Mesquite visitation was up 9.6 percent in month-over-month comparisons.

Year-to-date, Laughlin’s visitor count was down 1.5 percent, to 1.91 million from 2012’s 1.94 million total. Mesquite’s visitation was up 0.3 percent to 941,872 from 938,596 in 2012.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.