Sin City Regains Popularity: Las Vegas Attracted 2.7% More Visitors in 2010

More visitors made their way to Sin City last year compared to 2009, helping to boost room rates at Las Vegas hotels.

The city attracted 37.3 million visitors in 2010, up 2.7% from 2009, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). October visitor counts were up almost 6% from a year earlier, while December counts rose nearly 4%.

The increase in tourism reflects a reversal from 2009, when the economic downturn kept potential visitors away. In 2009, Las Vegas attracted 3% fewer visitors than in 2008.

Despite the higher number of visitors, Las Vegas's hotel occupancy and convention attendance fell. But hotels were still able to increase their average daily room rates by 2% last year after rates plunged 22% in 2009.