Las Vegas is feeling the chill from fewer Canadian travellers

It looks like Canadians are being a lot less sinful this year — at least, they’re visiting Sin City (i.e. Las Vegas) less than they used to. Following Trump’s anti-Canadian rhetoric and tariffs on Canada, many Canadians are pulling back from the slots in the Las Vegas strip.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) recently reported an 11% decline in visitors to the legendary gambler’s haven, a decline not seen since the COVID pandemic years (1).

Data released from the Harvey Reid International Airport show that flights booked to Las Vegas with major Canadian airlines are dropping (2). The airport reported 33% fewer Westjet visitors and 31% fewer Air Canada visitors year-over-year.

With less Canadians visiting Vegas in 2025, should Sin City be worried? Some think so.

Is Las Vegas in serious trouble? CEOs weigh in

CBC News reported that key CEOs and stakeholders in Vegas are concerned with the downslide of Canadian tourist revenue (3).

On a conference call in August, MGM Resorts president and CEO, Bill Hornbuckle, explained that since President Trump implemented his controversial tariffs, the number of Canadians visits dropped — and haven’t bounced back since.

"International visitation has been an issue," Hornbuckle said during a quarterly call with investors. "Particularly earlier in the year, with Canada, we host a lot of hockey games, and we saw visitation down. And I think — I don't think, I know — it's still down."

Another major player in the Vegas tourism industry is Caesars Entertainment. On a call with stock analysts, Thomas Reeg, CEO, made it clear that a lack of Canadian business is definitely being felt as the company posted less-than-ideal Q2 results.

"International business, particularly Canadian, is softer,” he noted.

More and more Canadians are choosing to not roll the dice in Vegas, but is Canada’s tourism boycott felt in other parts of the U.S.?

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The Canadian boycott is sounding the alarm in other states

Nevada isn’t the only state dealing with a Canadian tourist slump.The Canadian Press reported that a number of states that usually experience swaths of Canadians visitors are noticing a lack of numbers, up to 60% less than usual (4).

Maine Governor Janet Mills told the news outlet that tourism in Maine was down 26% between February and April.

The Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healy, shared similar concerning data. The Bay State is expecting a 20% drop in Canadians tourists this year. Additionally, Vermont reported that hotel reservations from Canadians were down 45% earlier this year.

Statistics Canada recently reported a number of downswings in Canadians visiting the U.S., both by plane and car (5). Flights returning to Canada from the U.S. were down 5.5% year-over-year in July. Meanwhile, the number of Canadians returning home by automobile was down a staggering 39.6% from the previous month, continuing a theme of year-over-year declines for 2025.

As more and more Canadians choose to not travel to the U.S. this year given the political and economic climates, how can they make the most of it? Travelling within Canada, of course.

Thinking of travelling domestically instead? How to do so smartly

Yes, you are saving money by travelling within Canada instead of internationally. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be strategic about how you spend — and save — for your trip. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your loonies travelling the great Canadian landscape.

• Save for the trip with the right account. Don’t use a cash jar to store funds for your trip, even if it’s easier to visualize the savings. Instead, use a high-interest savings account and make use of the wonders of compound interest until your departure date comes around.
• Sign up for a travel credit card. Even if you’ve never heard of a travel credit card, getting one before you book a trip is a no-brainer. Many of these cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses so you can use your new points towards an upcoming trip right away.
• Use your credit card rewards wisely. If you’re travelling for the first time in a while, you might have a large amount of points saved up. Make sure to use them on hotels, flights and other necessary discounts — not on merchandise or other bells and whistles.
• Have a budget. Going on vacation, especially one that may be less expensive than you had planned for, can cause you to spend more. Avoid that temptation by creating a travel budget ahead of time. Try one of Canada's best bedugeting apps to help you put every dollar to work.

Article sources

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Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority (5); Harvey Reid International Airport (2); CBC News(3); Canadian Press (4); Statistics Canada (5)