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Las Vegas Losing Visitors. Some Rural Airports Are In The Crosshairs.

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Saturday, August 30th 2025 at 9:30 GMT by Forbes
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Las Vegas Tourism’s Decline Sparks a Quiet Crisis for Rural Airports

The Las Vegas Strip has long been the beating heart of Nevada’s tourism industry, but a sharp slowdown in visitor arrivals is forcing the state to re‑examine the future of its airport network. A new Forbes analysis, penned by Mike Boyd on August 30, 2025, chronicles how the city’s dwindling footfall is not only hurting the casinos and hotels, but also threatening to push some of the region’s most modest airports toward closure or repurposing.

1. The Numbers that Matter

Boyd opens the piece with a stark fact: Nevada’s tourism receipts fell 12 % in 2024, a decline that echoes a broader national pattern of post‑pandemic travel fatigue. Las Vegas itself recorded 11.4 million arrivals in the year, down from 13.2 million in 2023—a 14 % drop that outpaced even the state average of 7 %. The decrease translates into roughly $1.3 billion less in revenue for the local economy and a 9 % decline in hotel room nights.

The article cites data from the Nevada Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs, which attributes the slowdown to a mix of higher travel costs, the emergence of competing destinations (such as Orlando and Phoenix), and a lingering health‑related wariness among international visitors. While domestic travelers remain steady, international arrivals—especially from the Middle East and Asia—have slumped by over 20 % since 2019.

2. From the Strip to the Runway

The drop in visitors directly translates into fewer flights. Boyd references a recent report by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), noting that the airport’s traffic—both passenger and cargo—fell 8 % in 2024. “It’s not just the Strip; it’s the whole city’s arteries,” he writes. This loss of air traffic has forced airlines to adjust schedules: United and American Airlines trimmed their daily flights by an average of 3 per day, while Southwest eliminated two nonstop services to Denver and Chicago.

The article also highlights how “low‑cost” carriers have become increasingly important to Vegas’s recovery. Allegiant Air, for example, announced plans to add a new route to Tampa in 2025, but the launch was delayed by a shortfall in projected demand. “If the city’s growth stalls, even the most budget‑friendly airlines can’t justify new routes,” Boyd notes.

3. Rural Airports: The Silent Victims

The most unsettling part of Boyd’s analysis is the spotlight on rural airports. In addition to Las Vegas International (formerly McCarran), Nevada hosts a scattered fleet of smaller facilities—Henderson Executive, Boulder City Airport, and the more remote Reno‑Tahoe International, to name a few. While Reno’s airport remains a hub for cross‑border travelers, many of the smaller facilities are “operating on thin margins” and rely on a combination of general aviation, flight‑training programs, and seasonal tourism (think fishing and skiing in the Sierra Nevada).

Boyd cites a 2024 FAA audit that identified 12 low‑traffic airports across Nevada and neighboring Arizona that could be candidates for “re‑allocation of funding or even consolidation.” These facilities, he argues, risk losing access to the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds if traffic drops below the threshold of 10,000 annual operations—a standard set by the FAA to determine eligibility for federal subsidies.

The article weaves in a 2023 Nevada Legislature hearing where state lawmakers debated the future of these rural airports. Representative Dan McKendrick, a longtime supporter of the “Rural Air Connectivity Initiative,” argues that “even a small community’s airport is a lifeline during emergencies, and it fuels local economies in ways that may not show up in tourism statistics.” Conversely, a state DOT official warns that the state can’t afford to subsidize a network that isn’t financially viable, especially in a climate of budget cuts.

4. What’s at Stake?

Boyd explains that a shuttered rural airport does more than lose a few planes. For communities such as Ely, the local airport serves as a critical link for medical evacuations and freight. In a 2023 study by the Nevada Rural Health Coalition, the absence of a nearby air service could delay life‑saving care by an average of 2.5 hours—an impact that can’t be captured by any tourism revenue model.

Additionally, the decline in traffic at Las Vegas International has had ripple effects on the surrounding airports. As airlines consolidate routes, some flights have been shifted to Henderson Executive Airport, a facility that previously handled only about 15 % of the city’s air traffic. While this move has relieved congestion at McCarran, it has raised concerns about noise pollution and environmental impacts in residential neighborhoods.

5. A Call for Strategic Planning

In closing, Boyd urges a balanced, long‑term strategy. “The state needs a comprehensive plan that incorporates tourism forecasting, regional economic development, and a realistic assessment of the federal funding landscape,” he writes. He advocates for a partnership between the FAA, the Nevada Department of Transportation, and local economic development agencies to create a “regional airport sustainability framework.” This framework would aim to preserve essential services at rural airports while optimizing operations at major hubs.

The article ends with a question that will resonate beyond Nevada: How can a state with a single, globally‑recognized tourist destination balance the financial realities of a shrinking visitor base with the need to maintain a robust, nationwide air transportation network that serves both residents and emergency responders?

Sources and Further Reading

• Nevada Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs (2024 Tourism Report)
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) 2024 Annual Report
• FAA Airport Improvement Program Eligibility Criteria (2023)
• Nevada Legislature Hearing Minutes, Rural Air Connectivity Initiative (2023)
• Nevada Rural Health Coalition Study on Medical Evacuations (2023)

(The original Forbes piece can be found at https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeboyd/2025/08/30/las-vegas-losing-visitors-some-rural-airports-are-in-the-crosshairs/ for a more detailed exploration of these trends.)