For the third month in a row, Las Vegas convention attendance steadily climbed higher in May, with 352,537 attendees flocking to the city, a 3.1-percent increase, compared with the same time period last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority’s Executive Summary.

April saw 426,697 attendees, a 2.9-percent increase, and March saw 470,005 attendees, a 5.2-percent increase, both compared to similar time periods last year.

“The majority of our large trade shows have experienced increases in their attendance so far this year,” said Chris Meyer, the LVCVA’s vice president of sales. “That, and the fact that we are comparing to a very challenging time last year, have helped us show increases in the past few months.”

The number of meetings and conventions, however, continued to see declines in May, with 1,577 total events, a 4-percent decrease, compared with the same time period last year. April had 1,818 meetings and conventions, a 1.4-percent decrease, and March had 1,772, a 2.9-percent decrease, both compared to similar time periods last year.

Even with number of meetings and conventions heading to town still struggling, Meyer said, “Based on conversations with our resorts partners, the booking calendars for our corporate and incentive programs are showing improvement in the fourth quarter of this year and look strong going into 2011. We are optimistic looking forward.”

Also seeing an uptick for the third month in a row is the number of total visitors to Las Vegas, with 3.3 million hitting the Strip in May, a 2-percent increase, compared with the same time period last year.

Another number slowly creeping up that attendees might not be too happy about is the average daily room rate. In May, the rate was $98.87, a 2-percent increase, compared with the same time period last year.

On the other hand, hotel occupancy continued to see declines, with an 82.6-percent occupancy rate in May, which was a 2.1-percent decrease, compared with the same time period last year.

Even though summer isn’t the busiest time of year for the city, Meyer said there are some big shows coming to town in the next few months. “We continue to have some smaller shows throughout the summer, and we will get back into our busy season with Cosmoprof North America on July 18, followed by World Show Association on July 30 and ASD/AMD on Aug. 4,” he added.