Las Vegas Chokes the Golden Goose

[PAF]

Power & Market
Douglas French

08/13/2025


There was a day when Las Vegas’s economy was driven by Benny Binion’s simple philosophy: “Good food, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble.”

Today, “Reports highlight eye-watering prices such as $33 bagels and $26 bottles of water, onerous parking and resort fees, and surprise charges for early check-ins and basic amenities,” reports Yahoo Finance. No wonder hotel occupancy is 67 percent, visitor traffic is down 6.5 percent from a year ago and 7.4 percent from 2019.

According to LasVegasDirect.com,

"Parking fees in Las Vegas vary by hotel and can range from $15 to $30 per day for self-parking and $20 to $50 for valet. Some hotels offer free parking for hotel guests, while others charge daily fees. Resort fees are typically added to the room rate and can range from $20 to $55 per night. These fees cover access to amenities such as internet access, fitness centers, and spa services."​

Most Vegas nightclubs (and dayclubs) have bottle service table minimums of $1,000. General admission tickets to see The Backstreet Boys at the Sphere are $863. The Backstreet Boys?

Of course this all may have something to do with the hotel/casino operators no longer owning their properties having sold the real estate to Wall Street REITs and leasing back the properties. Got to make those rent payments.

Vegas workers are all about no tax on tips, as The Wall Street Journal reports “But it doesn’t really do us much good if there aren’t any people to get tips from,” said Charlie Mungo, a tattoo artist.

"In boom years for Vegas after the Covid-19 pandemic, Mungo said he earned between $3,000 and $6,000 a month including tips and regular pay inking tourists with little souvenir tattoos such as a pair of dice. Recently he estimates he has made only about $1,500 a month. Canadians, who Mungo previously counted as about 30% of his customers, are now rare."​

While tips are down prices are up. According to AAA, regular gas is $3.73 a gallon in Vegas while the national average is $3.15. Lawrence Williams, a tourist from northeast Illinois who has been coming to Vegas for 15 years, told the WSJ that he now goes to In-N-Out Burger while visiting Vegas instead of going to fancier restaurants. “At the Mon Ami Gabi restaurant on the Strip, a dinner-menu cheeseburger with fries costs $30.95, plus tax and tip. Four years ago, it cost $16.95,” reports the WSJ.

Washington DC is piling on with the Big Beautiful Bill which introduces a $250 “visa integrity fee” that would apply to most non-immigrant U.S. visas, including tourist, student and work visas. It also includes an increase from $21 to $40 for the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee.

Benny Binion is rolling over in his grave.

Las Vegas Chokes the Golden Goose | Mises Institute

Even in Las Vegas—known for inexpensive fun, food, and gambling—hotel occupancy is 67 percent, visitor traffic is down 6.5 percent from a year ago and 7.4

mises.org

 

[PAF]

International Travel Is Declining, And It's Costing The US: 'It's Shaking Everything Up'

by Kathleen Wong
April 11, 2025

Key points:

• Increased scrutiny at U.S. borders and recent detainments are causing some international travelers to reconsider visiting the U.S.
• Some travelers are opting for alternative destinations like Canada due to the current political climate and rhetoric.
• Experts warn that the shift away from the U.S. as a travel destination could have long-term economic consequences.

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Amid recent travel advisories warning those coming to the United States plus strengthened immigration enforcement, many international travelers are starting to turn away from the U.S. as a destination. Between January and March, foreign arrivals dropped by around 4.4% from those first three months last year, according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office. In a March year-over-year comparison, that reduction doubles to almost 10%.

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Some fear for their safety over what could happen when trying to enter the nation's borders. Others are angered at recent policies, like the trade wars, and rhetoric, refusing to spend their dollars in the U.S. A decline in overseas visitors could have significant long-term consequences for the economy, with travel and tourism one of the country's leading industries, contributing 2.5% to the gross domestic product, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

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However, the U.S. tourism industry is already starting to see a flurry of cancellations across the board, from business to leisure and family travel. "That cancellation impacts, obviously, hotel reservations, restaurants, every element that deals with tourism," said Jaddoud. In 2024, spending by international visitors generated $2.9 trillion in economic output. It supported 15 million jobs, from the more obvious hotel workers to indirect services like taxi drivers, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

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Full article:

International travel is declining, and it's costing the US: 'It's shaking everything up'

Amid recent political tensions and increased border control, international visitors are turning away from the U.S. as a travel destination.

www.usatoday.com

 

[PAF]

My own personal experience:

When I travel abroad [which is frequently], I feel like the red carpet is being rolled out for me.

After going through rigorous rape-screening and questioned in back rooms about my-own-money at the U.S. Airports, I finally reach my overseas destination where I finally feel free as soon as I get off of the plane.

People abroad are helpful and friendly, prices are low, and there is so much to experience and see. I seldom, if ever, encounter racial tensions like I do here in my own country. As stated in the above article, when the price of food is advertised on a menu, that is exactly what I pay - not more, not less, and I feel happy and comfortable leaving a tip for outstanding service, whether it's at a fine dining restaurant or in a back alley street. Pictures that I take for my scrapbook don't do the places justice - one simply has to go to experience and absorb the full effect.

Every so often I get into political conversations, because, well, that's what I do. It's not just the United States that the local residents are knowledgeable about, they are very knowledgeable about many places around the world. Their heads usually spin when talking about about the U.S., they are as baffled as I am why Americans are like they are. Which is basically uneducated, backward, blinded.

Typically when it is time to depart, I am told that I am always welcome back, so long as I don't bring other Americans with me. Sometimes they may ask "if I were to happen to visit the U.S., what places would you recommend?". My blanket response is "stay far away, very far away, spend-your-money-elsewhere, unless you want risk encountering a very hostile people and a police-state that they have created - you may very well end up in El Salvador just for wanting to spend your money or visit the Grand Canyon!".

It truly is a shame, because I remember when the U.S. had so much to offer. Now with the prejudice, politics and cost of everything, the U.S. is simply not worth it. IMO, the U.S. can go to is like being in hell.

Other countries are building up their Tourism Industries and profiting, while the U.S is doing everything to eliminate it. And with the recent trend and attitude that 'Merikans have today, they can have it - as long as I can escape it.

 

[TheTexan]

It truly is a shame, because I remember when the U.S. had so much to offer. Now with the prejudice, politics and cost of everything, the U.S. is simply not worth it. IMO, the U.S. can go to is like being in hell.

Why do you stay in a country that you hate?

 

[PAF]

Why do you stay in a country that you hate?

Family and friends who are dear to my heart. I do have dual citizenship [As Cheech says: Mexi-can-Ameri-can!] - just in case [Mexico never checks] But I do travel to many other countries quite often.