Las Vegas has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Figures from 2021 show Sin City welcome over 30 million tourists and that number is expected to grow even more by the end of 2022.
Known for its bustling nightlife, fine dining, shopping and casinos, Las Vegas is the leading financial, commercial and cultural centre for Nevada. But was it always this way?
Well not always per se, but it has been extremely popular since the 1930s. In 1905 the city was connected with the Pacific and the USA’s main rail networks started to mould Vegas into the city we know today.
The legalisation of Sports and Casino wagering in Nevada in the 1930s allowed the construction of casinos throughout downtown.
Fast forward to the post war era and, by 1954, Vegas was welcoming 8.2 million tourists per year, which is an incredible number by the day’s standards. They were drawn by star performers such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Dean Martin, along with the bright lights of the casinos.
The population also doubled between 1985 and 1995 and, by the 2000s, tourism numbers were way into double figures. As billions of dollars’ worth of construction continued to pump Las Vegas full of tourist infrastructure, it became one of the most popular destinations in the world.
The craziest thing about Sin City’s popularity is that it shows no signs of stopping its growth. Besides an explainable blip in 2020, the numbers show that it gets more popular every year.
There are a number of reasons for this ,so let us take a look at why Vegas will always continue to be popular.
The most obvious reason for its continued popularity is the casinos that the city has become known for. With some 200,000 casino slots in Vegas, you are spoilt for choice when visiting, while you can also enjoy at megawayscasino.com.
The 31 casinos on the strip combined to make a staggering $7 billion in 2021 and that number is expected to grow in 2022. What makes these establishments even more attractive is that they subsidise their drinks, meaning you can drink throughout the night without being charged.
Another attractive feature of these casinos is that they are always open. This 24-hour town makes it impossible for residents and tourists to become bored with plenty to do at any hour of the day.
There is also plenty of nightlife away from casinos to keep you entertained. Hundreds of clubs, bars and restaurants line the Las Vegas Strip leaving you spoilt for choice.
Like the casinos, many of these places are also open 24/7. As Nevada has no restrictions on the hours that alcohol can be served there is always a party somewhere in the city!
Vegas has also garnered a name for itself for its performing arts scene. For decades, some of the most famous performers in the world have performed in the city from comedians to bands and magicians.
While you may be thinking, ‘Don’t performers tour all the time?’, many of these are not actually touring at all. Instead they hold a “residency” at a specific venue in the city, meaning they perform repeatedly at the same venue.
The likes of Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion have all held residencies in some of the most famous Vegas resorts such as Caesers Palace, Planet Hollywood and Park MGM.
Sports are also huge in the city, with many considering Las Vegas as the home of combat sports. MMA and Boxing before that have long been synonymous with Vegas.
Boxing was first introduced to the city during the economic boom in the 1950s. Fight fans would arrive early and stay late to be able to make use of the casinos before and after the fights.
Since then, it has been host to some of the most famous fights in the history of the sport. Ali vs Spinks, Tyson vs Holyfield, and Mayweather Jr. vs Pacquiao all took place in the city and went on to become legendary.
MMA has also become a permanent fixture of Las Vegas. The UFC Apex, the production centre and live events venue for the biggest MMA promotion in the world, is situated in Enterprise, Nevada.
Both the T-Mobile arena and the historic MGM Grand have played host to some of the biggest fights in the UFC with plenty more to come.
There has now been a recent influx of professional sports franchises in the city, namely the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL and the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL. Their home games are played at Allegiant Stadium and the T-Mobile arena respectively.
Whilst the Raiders relocated to the city from Oakland, the Knights were a completely new franchise when they entered the NHL. They have experienced success in their short time of existence, winning the conference championship back in 2017/18.
The inception of these teams came as a result of the ever-expanding Las Vegas population. This is maybe the biggest reason the city will always be popular; it has turned from just a tourist destination to a place where people are setting up for life.
The Las Vegas area is expected to grow to three million in less than 15 years and with tourism also growing exponentially, it is safe to say that the city is set for a very long time!
