Southern Nevada's economy depends on tourism, but rising tariffs could squeeze the industry that fuels the region. Now, an economic expert warns the biggest impact could fall on the workers and families who call the area in and around Las Vegas home.
For Southern Nevadans like Sulhee Woo, when it comes to the volatile economy, the stakes are high.
"Of course I'm concerned," Woo said on Thursday. "These tariffs are a terrible thing."
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From the Strip to the suburbs, the region's economic health depends heavily on the success of tourism and the hospitality industry. But rising tariffs could threaten that success.
UNLV economics professor Stephen Miller says as prices increase, Las Vegas' tourism may take a hit — especially from international markets.
"The key word right now is uncertainty — that is, not only is it unprecedented number of tariffs, but also the movement up, on, off, higher, lower — you just don't know what's going to happen," Miller said.
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In 2024, Las Vegas welcomed 41.7 million visitors, and their spending pumped a record-breaking $87.7 billion into the regional economy. That money helped support more than 385,000 jobs and generated $21.3 billion in wages — making up nearly a third of all wages paid in Southern Nevada.
"So, how do you think this may also impact the amount of money that we're getting here in Southern Nevada?" Miller was asked.
"The key to that is the number of visitors coming, and we're already seeing early returns suggesting that Canadians are not coming. They're cutting back," Miller said.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, in comparison to this time last year, visitor volume is down nearly 12%, convention attendance is off by 20% and gaming revenue has dipped nearly 14% on the Strip.
"People living in Southern California, if you're deciding on coming to Vegas for a trip, you may decide not to come because it just sort of, your budget has to be rearranged because prices are going up," Miller said.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, spoke on the Senate floor this week about the impact of the tariffs in Nevada.
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"Tourism and travel is important for my state, and what I'm already hearing from all of our businesses that directly or indirectly survive on that travel and tourism is the impact that we're seeing because of these tariffs and the actions of this administration," she said.
State Treasurer Zach Conine recently warned that as tourism numbers from major international markets decline, many visitors won't reschedule canceled trips.
Woo said she worries what this could mean for her and her family.
"Flight prices, casinos — everything is going to be expensive," she said.
This article was written by Abel Garcia for the Scripps News Group in Las Vegas.
