Amid declining tourism numbers, Las Vegas on Sept. 4 launched its first comprehensive brand campaign since 2018, "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas," which draws on the 66-year legacy of the city's famous sign.
And although the launch comes during a downturn in visitor volume, the initiative is not a response to current market conditions but a longer-term, strategic shift that had been in the works for at least a year and a half, said Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).
"This isn't a product campaign," Hill said. "This isn't a strategy for the moment. This is something that we intend to last a number of years."
The LVCVA approaches its brand campaigns as extended investments, he added, with the destination marketing organization typically launching refreshed efforts every seven or eight years. (The 2018 brand campaign ran under the tag line, "What Happens Here, Only Happens Here.")
The "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" initiative spans broadcast television, experiential activations and partnerships.
A 60-second TV spot featuring an office worker escaping to Las Vegas, set to an original song by Grammy-winning singer Eryn Allen Kane, debuted Sept. 4 during the first NFL game of the 2025 season.
The campaign's first wave of activations include a Fabulous Pickups experience at Harry Reid Airport, which has transformed the airport's Terminal 1 rideshare zone with lighting, music and a neon selfie wall.
Hill said the DMO plans to sustain momentum with ongoing monthly activations. "Our thought is that at least over the next year, we'll have something noteworthy dropping every month," he said, adding that some of the soon-to-be-announced initiatives will be "bigger" in scope.
'The value message is needed right now'
Separately, the LVCVA is responding directly to current market pressures by running a value-focused marketing effort. The combined campaigns are part of what Hill describes as pursuing both long-term brand positioning and immediate value messaging simultaneously.
Much of the value messaging revolves around highlighting resort partner initiatives, with Las Vegas properties offering a broad array of packages, some that include benefits like eliminated resort or parking fees. In June, the group debuted a Locals Unlocked Las Vegas platform on VisitLasVegas.com, promoting staycations with locals-only resorts and discounts on entertainment, food and beverages.
"The value message is needed right now," Hill said. "We've talked to the properties, and they are ramping up their efforts. We're already starting to see the result. They've seen some pickup and they have some confidence moving into the fall."
Hill added that Las Vegas hotels and resorts are concurrently putting a renewed focus on enhanced hospitality touches, such as "giving away free popsicles at the pool every weekend or, if there's a long line at reception, getting people a glass of champagne."
The efforts come amid sluggish RevPAR performance this summer. Hill said that RevPAR was down in June and July, and that while not finalized yet, August "didn't see a pickup."
According to LVCVA visitor data for June, the most recent month available, volume dropped 11.3% to 3.1 million visitors. Hotel occupancy fell 6.5 percentage points to 78.7%, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) declined 13.8%, to $128.78. Convention attendance decreased 10.7% to approximately 375,000.
CoStar data painted a similar picture for the broader market through July year to date, showing occupancy dropping 7.2 percentage points to 75.2%, average daily rate down 4.6% to $198.62 and RevPAR falling 11.5%, to $149.43.
Further exacerbating Las Vegas' performance challenges is a steep decline in international visitation. According to U.S. International Air Travel Statistics data, Las Vegas has seen consistent declines in overseas arrivals throughout 2025. Canada and Mexico historically represent more than half of the city's international visitors, the LVCVA said, but this year, the decline in Canadian visitors particularly, due to strained U.S.-Canada relations stemming from Trump administration policies and rhetoric, has taken a toll.
"When Canada first had a visceral reaction, our airline partners recommended that we stop [marketing] there for a while, but we've ramped that back up," said Hill, adding that he attended an LVCVA sales mission to Vancouver just a few weeks ago. "We still have the offices there, and we'll still market there and maintain the relationship -- we feel like it's important to do that."
Despite the ongoing headwinds, Hill sees upcoming potential for improvement, pointing to events like the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 13 and the return of Monday Night Football.
"We think September will be somewhat better than the summer, but on kind of a steady ramp-up," Hill said. "And once we get into the December and January timeline, we think things will be improved. There seems to be some optimism by the time we get to the holidays."