Six Consecutive Monthly Records and Double-Digit Sales Growth Highlights Tourism’s Continued Economic Impact Across the Region
RENO, Nev. (Aug. 19, 2026) – 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.
From January through June 2026, every month set a new taxable room revenue record for that calendar month, driving a 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 19.6% year over year to 340,479, rebounding from the previous fiscal year and surpassing fiscal year 23-24 by 14%. Tourism sales room nights climbed 12% to 758,863, the highest total of the past three fiscal years and an increase of nearly 20% over two years.
“This record belongs to the entire Reno Tahoe community,” said Mike Larragueta, President and CEO of Visit Reno Tahoe. “Nearly $500 million in taxable room revenue means visitors are staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, supporting local businesses, and experiencing everything this region has to offer. Behind these numbers are thousands of people who work in our hospitality and tourism industry and partners across the region who help make Reno Tahoe a place people want to visit.”
Conventions and Sporting Events Bring Visitors to the Region
A strong calendar of conventions and sporting events helped drive visitation throughout the year, bringing tens of thousands of competitors, delegates and spectators to Reno Tahoe and supporting hotel demand and visitor spending across the region.
The year began with the American Bus Association Marketplace, which welcomed 2,800 delegates and generated more than 8,000 room nights in January. 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 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.
Expanded Air Service Connects Reno Tahoe to More Markets
Expanded air service also 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 service from Nashville, launching Oct. 1
Building on the Momentum
Visit Reno Tahoe enters fiscal year 26-27 with a strong calendar of events designed to continue driving visitation and economic activity throughout the region.
Following the 40th anniversary of Hot August Nights, Burning Man will bring tens of thousands of visitors through the region, followed by the 45th anniversary of the Great Reno Balloon Race and Street Vibrations Fall Rally in September.
In October, the World Long Drive Championship will bring competitors from more than 30 countries to Reno Tahoe in the first year of a three-year agreement extending through 2028. Winter events will 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 moving forward with a $32 million capital improvement plan to enhance destination facilities and strengthen the region’s ability to attract and host large-scale conventions, competitions, entertainment, and events.
“What I’m especially proud of is that this growth isn’t coming from one event or one season,” Larragueta continued. “We’re bringing conventions, sporting events, entertainment, and leisure travelers into the region throughout the year, while expanding air service and investing in venues that allow us to compete for even more business. That creates economic activity for our community and strengthens Reno Tahoe as both a destination and a place to live.”
To learn more about all that Visit Reno Tahoe has to offer, visit: https://www.visitrenotahoe.com/
*June 2026 data is preliminary and subject to revision. Source: Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority
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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.
Nicolle Lowe
Director of Communications
Visit Reno Tahoe