Las Vegas: ‘If You Build It, They Will Come’ Rings True For Our City

“If you build it, they will come.” That famous line from the movie Field Of Dreams certainly applies to Las Vegas. They keep building mega-resorts on or near the Las Vegas Strip, and the people keep on coming. In fact, another airport record was set last month.

Basically, it was the busiest June on record at Harry Reid International Airport. Nearly five million people traveled through our city’s terminals. To clarify, airport officials state it was 4.88 million travelers. Although this may be true, it was not the busiest month of 2023. According to a report by KTNV Staff on KTNV.com, the previous month was actually busier. To enumerate, 4.95 million passengers visited our airport in May 2023.

Comparatively, June 2023 shows total travelers at the Las Vegas airport up by 4% over June 2022. What’s more, international travel is way up. As a matter of fact, airport officials claim about 500,000 more international passengers came through Harry Reid International Airport this June as compared to last June.

Per the KTNV.com article, the busiest airline serving Sin City is Southwest Airlines. Then comes Spirit, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Frontier.

I am proud to say I have lived here in Las Vegas for almost thirty years. To be sure, things have changed on The Strip and downtown around the Fremont Street Experience. Although this is still a gambling town, there are many more sights and sounds to tempt travelers to visit Las Vegas.

Certainly, the shows and concerts are bigger. Without a doubt, the superstar residency shows are a huge draw. Moreover, the resorts themselves are bigger and more extravagant. Not to mention the many superstar chefs whose names adorn the top-notch restaurants all over our city.

However, we locals know things have gotten outrageously expensive along the resort corridor. Unless you save up to take a staycation at one of these resorts, you probably stick close to home like we do.

To sum up, if someone in the Midwest of the United States wants to save their hard-earned money to spend in our town, then let’s treat them like kings. The same goes for all the international travelers visiting Las Vegas. Thank you and come again soon!

Several Nevada travel attractions have been named among the 150 best things to do in the United States. This list is from Travel Lemming, and one Nevada travel spot is even No. 3 on the tally.

The annual list from Travel Lemming "aims to help Americans discover unique attractions around the country and in their own backyards. It emphasizes human-curated recommendations over AI chatbots," according to a statement. "A diverse array of attractions made the article's top 10 designation, including a wild animal sanctuary in Colorado, a Bavarian Village in Washington, and the world's largest musical instrument in Virginia," they add.

Travel Lemming is an "online travel guide with more than 10 million annual readers. It publishes guides written by local and expert travelers who have first-hand experience in destinations across the United States and the world."

So, which Nevada travel spot made the cut? Lots, actually. Read on for the tally, including which spot is No. 3. I really like this list, because is has some attractions that I wouldn't have thought of visiting. For the full list of 150 of the best things to do in the United States this summer, go here.

This one is is Las Vegas, Nevada. Travel Lemming states to see fun drive-in movies at The Cosmopolitan. That's a great idea, right? "Float in one of Las Vegas’ most luxurious hotel pools while sipping a movie-themed cocktail and watching a film on the big screen," they add.

https://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/

Woah! This is in Rachel, Nevada. Travel Lemming says to look for aliens. To each their own! "Drive to the entrance gate of a top-secret government building and hang out in an out-of-this-world town full of model UFOs and alien-themed restaurants," they explain.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/31/us/area-51-fast-facts/index.html

Here's another Las Vegas option. Travel Lemming says, "Dance from dusk ‘til dawn to some of your favorite EDM artists at this world-renowned music and art festival." Sounds fun, right? Let's do it!

https://lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com/

Here's something fun in Amargosa Valley, Nevada. "The Big Dune recreation area is just over the Death Valley border and boasts one of the state’s best places for ATV adventures," Travel Lemming explains.

https://travelnevada.com/off-roading/amargosa-big-dune/

Here's a Las Vegas favorite. Travel Lemming says, "This alternate reality grocery store stocks funky products like bog water, 5G lip balm, plausible deniability, and mammoth chunks." I'm in!

https://meowwolf.com/visit/las-vegas

I love a good ghost town! This is in Rhyolite, Nevada. "Touring what remains of Rhyolite is like experiencing a ghost story with a twist, for here, it is the living who haunt a place locked in a time," Travel Lemming states.

https://travelnevada.com/ghost-town/rhyolite-ghost-town/

How cool is it that No. 3 on the list in all of America is here in Nevada? It's in Overton, Nevada. "Hike among 46,000 acres of red sandstone formations, petroglyphs, and ancient trade routes for a desert experience like no other," Travel Lemming says.

https://travelnevada.com/parks-recreational-areas/valley-of-fire-state-park/

For the full list of 150 of the best things to do in the United States this summer, go here.

https://travellemming.com/best-things-to-do-in-usa-2023/

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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