Survey - Las Vegas Named Entertainment Capital of the World

When asked, ‘Which, if any, of the following locations do you think would be the most entertaining for an action packed trip away over a relaxing one?’, respondents said:

17% of those polled believed that the location of Las Vegas matched the criteria of the question above. Of a poll of 2,000 people asked, that equates to 340 people who believed Sin City provided the most entertainment when looking for an action packed trip than opposed to an away one.

While the United States managed a lock out of the top three places and both New York City and Orlando were also given enough positive votes to earn 13% and 9% of the total vote respectively – pushing London into fourth place with 7%. 

Interestingly enough 11% of the people voters actually decided that none of the locations above would meet the necessary criteria in terms of generating enough entertainment on holiday – maybe the casino or Adele in residence is not their idea of fun.

Of those who also answered the question based on geography, they were then also asked the following: 

Which, if any, of the following do you think makes a location more of an entertaining place to visit? [Select all that apply]

Regardless of location, it was Scenic Views and Attractions that mattered the most, with 47% of the answers returning this option – this does not necessarily equate to 47% of the 2,000 people asked and this is due to multiple answers being permitted.

That 47% just edged out Iconic Landmarks and whereas 935 votes went towards Scenic Views and Attractions, 920 were placed in the direction of famous and iconic buildings or places of scenery – giving it a total of 46%.

In third and not a great deal off from the top two answers was Historical Sites and Museums and with 797 votes selecting this option, it meant 40% of the vote for this question was collected, 3% more than Live Shows and Performances.

Now that we know that the bulk of those people asked prefer Las Vegas and Scenic Views and Attractions, it was then time to ask: 

What cities, if any, would you describe as the entertainment capitals of the world? [Select up to five]

Even with the ability to vote multiple cities, it is Las Vegas that comes out on top. Of all the votes collected for this question, the Nevada-based location picked up 50% - eight percent better off than New York City in second.

Behind New York City in second was London that finally managed to break the dominance of the United States and although sometimes the capital of the United Kingdom fails to live up to its 24-hour city concept, 39% still believe it is one of the entertainment capitals of the world. 

Compared to Los Angeles, London’s votes polled 20% higher than the California-based city and 22% higher than Paris, with the French capital only recently hosting both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Las Vegas ranking at the top of both location specific questions, but what would the feedback be when asked this question: Have you ever been to Las Vegas?

JeanLucIchard//shutterstock

Interestingly enough, there is more a perception of Las Vegas being the home of entertainment rather than due to experience. Of the 2,000 OLBG.com website readers that were polled, 75% (1,500) have not yet been.

At this stage, the 1,500 that said that they are yet to visit, were then asked this additional question: 

Would you like to go to Las Vegas in the future?

If you take the 260 people who are still undecided on a trip to Las Vegas, the remaining 1,240 were almost split down the middle. 42% of the 1,500 sample (630) said they had no interest in visiting, 41% (610) said they would – just 20 votes different and needing a swing of 10 from no to yes to equal.

Regardless of whether those 2,000 people were interested in going to Las Vegas or not, they where then asked this following question: 

Which, if any, of the following do you think of most when you think of Las Vegas? [Select up to five]

Somewhat unsurprisingly it is the Casinos that top the table and with multiple answers being permitted, 55% of the votes went within the direction of where the blackjack tables and roulette wheels are based.

Sitting second in this table was The Strip itself with 38% of the votes going to this iconic section of Las Vegas, a section that now as well hosting all number of hotels, now also plays a part in staging the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Following the first two options, Neon Lights and Vibrant Signs finished in third with 31% of votes declaring this as one of things that they would connect most with Las Vegas – while World-class Live Shows, High-Stakes Gambling, 24/7 Entertainment and Wedding Chapels all earned 25% or more.

If that is what people think of, what about what they can do while they are there. When asked this question: 

Which, if any, of the following would you most like to do in Las Vegas? [Select up to five]

Grand Canyon // Matt Fowler KC/Shutterstock

With multiple answers once again permitted, 34% of the votes decided that Day Trips and Attractions were the most coveted use of free time in Las Vegas and in doing so, it was 6% better off then those who wanted to see a World-class Show. 

Then again, Staying In A Hotel or Getting A Big Casino Win were not that far off either and with both of these recording 27% each, their return would mean that Visiting the Bellagio Fountains would sit in fifth with 20% of the votes.

In addition to this, we also wanted to know the travel intentions of those surveyed in the next 12 months and to do so, we asked: 

Where do you intend to go for an entertainment trip in the next 12 months? [Select all that apply]

Once again, it is Las Vegas that sits at the top of the list – this time around just 426 people were asked the question but even with less of a survey base this time around, 25% of those asked put Sin City , the casinos and the lines and line of slot machines at the top of the pile.

107 of those 426 put Las Vegas as their preferred destination, 15 more than that of London and with the home of Big Ben collecting 92 votes in total, it means 22% of those asked fancied a trip to Madame Tussauds and the London Dungeon. 

Los Angeles sitting neatly in third as Barcelona and New York City round out the top five desired locations in terms of an entertainment trip over the next 12 months – just a single vote difference between the Catalan and Californian location.

While even within this smaller sample, 8% of those people asked did not desire any of the locations listed and whether that is due to a lack of funds or a lack of necessary desire in terms of entertainment, 35 of the 426 people in question are staying put this year.

Methodology

Surveyed 2,000 UK adults in July 2024 using One Poll.