Black Meetings & Tourism - RENO TAHOE TOURISM REACHES RECORD HIGH WITH NEARLY $500 MILLION IN TAXABLE ROOM REVENUE

Industry Briefs
RENO TAHOE TOURISM REACHES RECORD HIGH WITH NEARLY $500 MILLION IN TAXABLE ROOM REVENUE
Six Consecutive Monthly Records and Double-Digit Growth in Group and Tourism Sales Signal Continued Destination Momentum Visit Reno Tahoe closed fiscal year 25-26 with its highest taxable room revenue on record, reaching nearly $500 million, and increasing 8.8% year-over-year. The milestone caps a year of broad tourism growth across the destination, including double-digit gains in group and tourism sales and six consecutive monthly taxable room revenue records to start 2026. From January through June, every month set a new taxable room revenue record for that month, driving a nearly 20% increase compared to the same six-month period in 2025. Visitor counts during that period also increased nearly 14%, with January, April, and May each setting monthly records. At the same time, group sales room nights increased 20% year over year to 340,479, while tourism sales room nights climbed 12% to 758,863—the highest total of the past three fiscal years and nearly 20% higher than two years ago. “This record-breaking year shows real momentum across Reno Tahoe’s visitor economy,” said Mike Larragueta, President and CEO of Visit Reno Tahoe. “We’re seeing growth in leisure travel, conventions, sporting events, and air access, all while continuing to invest in the venues and experiences that make Reno Tahoe competitive. Nearly half a billion dollars in taxable room revenue is an important milestone, but what matters most is what that visitation means for our hotels, restaurants, attractions, small businesses, and the people who call this region home.” Major Events Drive Group and Sports Tourism Growth A strong calendar of conventions and sporting events helped drive visitation throughout the year, beginning in January with the American Bus Association Marketplace, which welcomed 2,800 delegates and generated more than 8,000 room nights. Group demand continued into the spring with the USBC Open Championships, bringing more than 55,000 competitors to Reno across 128 consecutive days from March through July. The NCVA Girls’ Far Western National Qualifier also brought nearly 2,000 volleyball teams to the destination over three weekends in April, marking record participation and an increase of more than 21% from the previous year. Additional sporting events included the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship and the Jam On It Memorial Day Tournament, which brought nearly 700 basketball teams to Reno. The Mountain West and MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships also welcomed athletes from 26 universities to compete at the Reno Tahoe Indoor Track. More Nonstop Access Connects Key Markets to Reno Tahoe Expanded air service made Reno Tahoe more accessible from key markets during the spring and early summer. Seasonal nonstop routes connected Reno-Tahoe International Airport with Minneapolis on Sun Country Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Dallas and Chicago on Southwest Airlines, New York on JetBlue Airways and Las Vegas and Carlsbad on JSX. Airlines added nearly 45,000 roundtrip seats for summer 2026, providing travelers with more nonstop options and reflecting continued confidence in the Northern Nevada air service market. Reno Tahoe’s nonstop network will expand further this fall with Southwest Airlines’ new nonstop route from Nashville (BNA), launching Oct. 1. Momentum Continues Into Fiscal Year 26-27 Visit Reno Tahoe enters fiscal year 26-27 with an action-packed calendar of events expected to sustain visitation throughout the year. Following the 40th anniversary of Hot August Nights, drawing more than 5,000 registered classic vehicles from across the country, the destination will welcome Burning Man Aug. 30–Sept. 7, attracting approximately 70,000 to 80,000 attendees. The 45th anniversary of the Great Reno Balloon Race and Street Vibrations Fall Rally extend hotel demand and visitor spending into September. The World Long Drive Championship brings competitors from more than 30 countries to Reno Tahoe in October, beginning a three-year agreement extending through 2028. Winter events provide additional group business during traditionally slower months, building on a Reno Tahoe Indoor Track season that previously attracted nearly 8,000 athletes and generated more than 16,000 room nights. Visit Reno Tahoe is also advancing a $32 million capital investment plan that will continue to enhance destination venues and strengthen Reno Tahoe’s ability to host large-scale conventions, competitions, and events. “Reno Tahoe is competing differently than it did even a few years ago,” Larragueta said. “We have more reasons to visit, more ways to get here, and a stronger pipeline of events and experiences throughout the year. Our focus now is building on that momentum and continuing to grow tourism in ways that create lasting value for the destination.” To learn more about all that Visit Reno Tahoe has to offer, visit: https://www.visitrenotahoe.com/. About Visit Reno Tahoe Reno Tahoe is a dynamic, four-season resort destination in a spectacular natural setting – where America’s largest alpine lake meets “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Here, genuine Western heritage and hospitality are served up alongside a region in the midst of an exciting transformation, offering travelers world-class attractions, outdoor adventure and an annual calendar of cultural, culinary and sporting events. Reno Tahoe is marketed by the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, branded as Visit Reno Tahoe, an organization established in 1959 to promote convention and tourism business in Washoe County, which includes Reno, Sparks and North Lake Tahoe. For more information, go to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com.

Industry Briefs

RENO TAHOE TOURISM REACHES RECORD HIGH WITH NEARLY $500 MILLION IN TAXABLE ROOM REVENUE

Six Consecutive Monthly Records and Double-Digit Growth in Group and Tourism Sales Signal Continued Destination Momentum

Visit Reno Tahoe closed fiscal year 25-26 with its highest taxable room revenue on record, reaching nearly $500 million, and increasing 8.8% year-over-year. The milestone caps a year of broad tourism growth across the destination, including double-digit gains in group and tourism sales and six consecutive monthly taxable room revenue records to start 2026.

From January through June, every month set a new taxable room revenue record for that month, driving a nearly 20% increase compared to the same six-month period in 2025. Visitor counts during that period also increased nearly 14%, with January, April, and May each setting monthly records.

At the same time, group sales room nights increased 20% year over year to 340,479, while tourism sales room nights climbed 12% to 758,863—the highest total of the past three fiscal years and nearly 20% higher than two years ago.

“This record-breaking year shows real momentum across Reno Tahoe’s visitor economy,” said Mike Larragueta, President and CEO of Visit Reno Tahoe. “We’re seeing growth in leisure travel, conventions, sporting events, and air access, all while continuing to invest in the venues and experiences that make Reno Tahoe competitive. Nearly half a billion dollars in taxable room revenue is an important milestone, but what matters most is what that visitation means for our hotels, restaurants, attractions, small businesses, and the people who call this region home.”

Major Events Drive Group and Sports Tourism Growth

A strong calendar of conventions and sporting events helped drive visitation throughout the year, beginning in January with the American Bus Association Marketplace, which welcomed 2,800 delegates and generated more than 8,000 room nights.

Group demand continued into the spring with the USBC Open Championships, bringing more than 55,000 competitors to Reno across 128 consecutive days from March through July. The NCVA Girls’ Far Western National Qualifier also brought nearly 2,000 volleyball teams to the destination over three weekends in April, marking record participation and an increase of more than 21% from the previous year.

Additional sporting events included the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship and the Jam On It Memorial Day Tournament, which brought nearly 700 basketball teams to Reno. The Mountain West and MPSF Indoor Track & Field Championships also welcomed athletes from 26 universities to compete at the Reno Tahoe Indoor Track.

More Nonstop Access Connects Key Markets to Reno Tahoe

Expanded air service made Reno Tahoe more accessible from key markets during the spring and early summer. Seasonal nonstop routes connected Reno-Tahoe International Airport with Minneapolis on Sun Country Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Dallas and Chicago on Southwest Airlines, New York on JetBlue Airways and Las Vegas and Carlsbad on JSX.

Airlines added nearly 45,000 roundtrip seats for summer 2026, providing travelers with more nonstop options and reflecting continued confidence in the Northern Nevada air service market. Reno Tahoe’s nonstop network will expand further this fall with Southwest Airlines’ new nonstop route from Nashville (BNA), launching Oct. 1.

Momentum Continues Into Fiscal Year 26-27

Visit Reno Tahoe enters fiscal year 26-27 with an action-packed calendar of events expected to sustain visitation throughout the year. Following the 40th anniversary of Hot August Nights, drawing more than 5,000 registered classic vehicles from across the country, the destination will welcome Burning Man Aug. 30–Sept. 7, attracting approximately 70,000 to 80,000 attendees. The 45th anniversary of the Great Reno Balloon Race and Street Vibrations Fall Rally extend hotel demand and visitor spending into September.

The World Long Drive Championship brings competitors from more than 30 countries to Reno Tahoe in October, beginning a three-year agreement extending through 2028. Winter events provide additional group business during traditionally slower months, building on a Reno Tahoe Indoor Track season that previously attracted nearly 8,000 athletes and generated more than 16,000 room nights.

Visit Reno Tahoe is also advancing a $32 million capital investment plan that will continue to enhance destination venues and strengthen Reno Tahoe’s ability to host large-scale conventions, competitions, and events.

“Reno Tahoe is competing differently than it did even a few years ago,” Larragueta said. “We have more reasons to visit, more ways to get here, and a stronger pipeline of events and experiences throughout the year. Our focus now is building on that momentum and continuing to grow tourism in ways that create lasting value for the destination.”

To learn more about all that Visit Reno Tahoe has to offer, visit: https://www.visitrenotahoe.com/.

About Visit Reno Tahoe

Reno Tahoe is a dynamic, four-season resort destination in a spectacular natural setting – where America’s largest alpine lake meets “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Here, genuine Western heritage and hospitality are served up alongside a region in the midst of an exciting transformation, offering travelers world-class attractions, outdoor adventure and an annual calendar of cultural, culinary and sporting events. Reno Tahoe is marketed by the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, branded as Visit Reno Tahoe, an organization established in 1959 to promote convention and tourism business in Washoe County, which includes Reno, Sparks and North Lake Tahoe. For more information, go to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com.