Las Vegas Approves New ‘Immersive Tourism’ District

If you’ve had enough of every new tourist attraction in Las Vegas declaring itself an “immersive” experience, then we know an area of the city you’re eventually going to want to avoid.

On Wednesday, the Las Vegas City Council voted to approve America’s first officially designated “immersive district.” It will consist of 35.5 acres next to AREA15, the art and entertainment complex that’s spearheading the project.

“I really see it as a spark that’s going to bring that area of Ward 3 to life, and further revitalize it,” said councilmember Olivia Diaz, who represents the ward.

Right now, that area is a largely industrial neighborhood 2.5 miles northwest of the Strip. It has seen long periods of neglect as the city of Las Vegas has grown up around it.

The New Vegas Immersive District, its official title, is expected to eventually include multifamily housing units, office space, and retail and dining, in addition to the tourist attractions, when it reaches full capacity in 2037.

So far, the attractions include Universal Horror Unleashed, a 100,000-square-foot, year-round take on the movie studio’s Halloween Horror Nights that’s currently under construction next to AREA15. And Lionsgate Entertainment has also begun building a 12,000-square-foot attraction inside AREA15 that’s based on the popular “John Wick” action movies with Keanu Reeves.

Leading investment in the district will be the Fisher Brothers (Winston, Ken, and Steven Fisher), who have already pumped a reported $100 million into AREA15.

Developers hope the new tourism improvement district will eventually draw seven million visitors a year and 384 million of their tourism dollars annually.