Canadian Travel to the U.S. Drops Again. Where Does Las Vegas Sit?

Although it is still true that fewer Canadians are visiting the United States in general and Las Vegas in particular, the story behind this trend is evolving.

25% Reduction in Travel Volume

For the seventh consecutive month, Statistics Canada reports that travel between Canada and the United States decreased in August. More precisely, compared to August 2024, there were 423,100 fewer flights for returning Canadian residents from the United States, a 25.4% decrease.

Additionally, Redfin, a real estate brokerage website, revealed an intriguing fact on Monday: in August, Canadian customers looking to purchase or rent a house in the United States decreased 19.5% year over year. In the past, the majority of foreign homeowners in the United States have been Canadians.

“One Canadian client is in the process of selling his last U.S. property because he no longer sees it as a good place to invest or vacation,” said Cheryl Van Elsis, a Redfin Premier agent in Las Vegas.

“He used to own four homes in the Las Vegas area, which he mainly rented to fellow Canadians here for casinos or poker events. But now, he no longer wants ties to the U.S.”

Canada: The country with the highest percentage of foreign visitors

Earlier this month, Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), traveled to Vancouver to speak with travel writers from the west coast. He spoke candidly about the difficulties and how to encourage Canadians to visit Sin City once more.  LVCVA is now advertising dozens of Las Vegas specials in an effort to entice Americans and Canadians to return. 

With around 1.5 million visitors in 2024, Canada still accounts for the biggest percentage of foreign visitors to Las Vegas, although making up a small portion of the annual traveler population.

“A portion of our friends in Canada are not happy with us right now,” said Hill at the media briefing.

Putting PR spin aside, Casino.org spoke with those who are receiving the real data—those on the front lines.  In addition, I spent five nights in Caesars Palace in August as a Canadian, and I had a terrific experience.

Air Canada's Labor Conflict

A factor contributing to a decline in tourism was the cancellation and delay of Air Canada flights in mid-August as a result of labor issues, as Statscan noted in its note from the other day.

Hill was discussing the lingering resentment among Canadians against U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated last winter that Canada would benefit from becoming the 51st state in the union.  Then there is the ongoing tariff conflict and its effects on Canada's economy.

Thus, there is a healthy amount of antipathy toward everything Trump among Canadians.  After ten years of incredibly unpopular Liberal rule under Justin Trudeau, the anti-Trump sentiment may have helped the Liberal Party win a national election in April and become a minority government.

The food that Canadians purchase at grocery shops is part of a grassroots movement that is anti-American.

Trump Factor

“I asked my wife if she wanted to go back [to Las Vegas] and she said no, not while Trump is in there,” said Tim Thomson, a Canadian who’s travelled to Las Vegas a dozen times, for the food, pool atmosphere, nightlife, sight-seeing and people-watching. 

Yes, one factor is American policies toward Canada.  The Canadian currency, which is currently trading at $1.38, is also declining.  For example, a Canadian pays $100 USD, and that individual finishes up spending $137.62.

During our August trip to Las Vegas, Caesars Palace was offering a King bed room for USD $89 per night.  By the end of our stay, the nightly fee had increased to USD $249.  We were charged USD $62.30 per day (tax included) for the resort, and we paid an additional USD $56.69 per night to upgrade our accommodation.

Low value of the Canadian dollar

One evening, we dined at Peter Luger Steakhouse after winning some money from our wagers.  Overall, was the cost of the food high?  Yes, it was.  I snapped this photo while purchasing a 20-ounce coffee, my wife's double Americano, and a muffin at Brioche by Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace's main lobby. The total cost was $8.

I was aware coming in that issues like food prices would arise.  If you look around, you can find many less expensive options both on and off the main strip, but those are also Strip resort pricing.

Is the tide going to turn?

What I'm trying to say is that stories fade.  Trump will remain in office for another three and a half years.  For what length of time will Canadians continue to be angry?  Eventually, a trade agreement will be reached.  Life will go on.

And when resorts in Las Vegas begin to provide better rates for Canadians to visit, the tide will turn.  Make it worthwhile, and the number of tourists visiting Las Vegas will increase again.

Thomson himself admitted that.

“Bottom line, you can get reasonable flights but a weekend in Las Vegas … with food and gambling, next thing you know you are at $2,000,” he said. “We can go to the Dominican Republic, Mexico or Cuba all-inclusive for a week for that price. I’ve seen high-end steakhouses in Buffalo offering Canadian dollar at par these days because they are hurting so much.”

What Do Travel Agencies in Canada Say?

The drop in Canadian travel to the United States, and Las Vegas specifically, is more complex than a protest against Trump, according to Christopher Whyte of Freestone Travel, located just east of Toronto.

According to him, his clients' interest in traveling to the United States has drastically decreased, with both air and land travel down 17% and 37.4% this year, respectively.

“Las Vegas is a unique situation and the reasons for declining travel to Vegas is almost a perfect storm of factors,” he told Casino.org. “Some come from general U.S. travel concerns and some from Las Vegas itself.”

Accurate or not, there’s social media scuttlebutt about issues Canadians have experienced, stories about Canadians encountering U.S. immigration issues including detention and deportation, Whyte added (I experienced none of that).

High Resort Fees

“Issues I have heard that specifically relate to Las Vegas typically revolve around costs,” he said. “The rise and growth in ‘resort fees’ and other types of fees makes pricing travel to Las Vegas less transparent and those costs rise the more nights the traveller plans to stay, making it significantly more expensive and more difficult to budget.

“Increasingly restaurant meal and drink costs appear to have escalated (recent travellers paid US $40 for a Margarita) and Las Vegas is no longer the place for the great low cost buffet. Tickets for shows are increasingly harder to get and extremely expensive.

“Finally, clients who focus on gambling have indicated they are not happy with the decline of traditional table games and the shift to automated machines. There is also a feeling that the payouts for winning have declined and while everyone knows the odds always favour the house, there is a feeling that this has shifted even further.”

He noted that the middle class used to love Las Vegas.  Not as much as before,

Customers Disapprove of Traditional Table Games' Decline

Whyte, however, concurred with me.  Canadians no longer find Las Vegas to be as alluring.  On the other hand, if you are serious about creating promotions that are aimed at Canadians, they will come.

“Some Canadians are doing a blanket U.S. travel ban due to Trump policies, however Las Vegas is still an attractive destination if some of the cost issues can be addressed,” he said. “I think Vegas will win back some of those travellers.”

Added Thomson: “If it became affordable again I’m sure a high percentage would go back in spite of [Trump].”