Posted on: March 28, 2026, 09:36h.
Last updated on: March 28, 2026, 09:36h.
Statistics covering Canadian travel to Las Vegas for February were a continuation of the ugliness seen for more than a year. There were big declines with two major carriers from Canada – year-over-year 27.3% on WestJet, and 22.7% on Air Canada – according to the latest airline passenger summary released by Harry Reid International Airport.
An Air Canada Airbus A220 airplane departs from Los Angeles International Airport en route to Toronto earlier this month in Los Angeles. (Image: Kevin Carter/Getty Images)Big Declines in Las Vegas Airport Arrivals
The two other, smaller Canadian carriers also saw big declines – a massive 34.7% decline on Porter Airlines compared to February 2025, and a 65.2% decline on Flair.
A survey by the Canadian Automobile Club (CAA) released earlier this month revealed that while Canadian remain eager to travel, rising costs, a weaker dollar, global instability, and shifting attitudes towards the U.S. are re-shaping how and where they travel. There’s been a concerted boycott towards U.S. travel and U.S. goods among some Canadians, in light of past “51st state” comments by U.S. President Donald Trump and rising trade tariffs.
The national Liberal party spun “Elbows Up” Boomer-age Liberal hatred of Trump into a near-majority election win in early 2025. The antipathy runs deep, and it has greatly impacted how some Canadians travel and shop.
Travel Anxiety
A question, considering this – how many Canadians are either permanently done with Las Vegas, as other travel habits develop, finding new places to go, or are forever cutting it back, dramatically?
“That’s a really good question. From a Canadian perspective, I don’t think you will see a material change until the tone of the U.S. administration changes and fewer shots are fired that challenge the long and productive friendship between the nations,” said Christopher Whyte, a travel agent with Freestone Travel, just outside Toronto.
“There is also a tremendous anxiety among Canadian travellers (justified or not) around the ICE activities in the U.S. As you know, Canada is a very multicultural society and there are many stories (including a recent one from Texas) where legal, Canadian travellers are being detained by ICE. This has caused significant anxiety among Canadian travellers and is reducing their desire to cross the border.”
Canadian Tourism Rebound on the Way?
According to the CAA study, off a survey conducted in 2025, only 22% of Canadians planned to visit the U.S. this year, an 11% drop from 2024. Instead, many are opting to stay within Canada (40%) or explore international destinations.
“International visitation remains weak,” said Kyle Owusu, Senior Credit Analyst, Octus, after their Q4 2025 data was released. “Passenger volume was down 19.2% year-over-year in January, driven by Canada (WestJet: -27.9%, Air Canada: -34.2%) and Mexico (Volaris: -11.9%, Aeromexico: -34%).
During the summer, the World Cup should provide some relief. Domestic and international visitation will probably increase by at least mid-single digits year over year in June and July because visitor volumes were down over 10% in both months during June and July of 2025.”
How Big Will It Be?
Octus is a financial intelligence and data platform specializing in credit intelligence, that produces gambling sector-specific reports as it relates to credit markets, one of many sectors they cover.
The Las Vegas tourism industry has made efforts to stem the tide. A continued lower Canadian dollar makes travel to Las Vegas more expensive. So, as we’ve written, Circa Resort and Casino, D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate resorts have a promotion where they are accepting Canadian dollars at par. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is putting $6 million over five years into a marketing push to get more Canadians back to Las Vegas. Canadians had been the biggest percentage of international travellers to the city. Likely not anymore, after those 2025 numbers tanked – a decline around 20-24%.
Nadia Matos, a spokesperson with CAA, said their travel agents don’t see this as a permanent shift away from Las Vegas.
Changing Travel Patterns
Travel patterns tend to move in cycles, and Canadians are still eager to explore,” she said. “Nearly eight in 10 have travelled outside their province in recent years and plan to do so again. What changes is where they feel comfortable travelling at a given moment.
“It’s less about one destination being ‘off the list forever’ and more about people being thoughtful and cautious,” she said. “Travellers are weighing value, comfort, and peace of mind, and for some, that means pressing pause on certain places for now.”
More specifically, Matos reported that their travel teams at CAA South Central Ontario and CAA Manitoba haven’t seen a noticeable increase in Canadians travelling to Las Vegas. While Las Vegas continues to actively promote tourism to the Canadian market, including promotions like the one at Circa, these efforts have not translated into noticeable interest from their members.
Facts Over Hype?
“As conditions evolve, whether that’s the political climate, exchange rates, or overall affordability, destinations like Las Vegas could absolutely see renewed interest,” Matos said, adding their agents are there to help travellers make informed decisions based on managing risk during uncertain times, like with insurance or cancellations policies, not getting caught up in “hype”.
“Canadians are practical travellers, and when the value proposition improves and confidence returns, demand often follows.”
Better Marketing Focus Needed
In the end, added Whyte, when talking Canadian travel to Las Vegas, one needs to look at the variety of factors impacting the popularity of Las Vegas as a destination, beyond hatred for Trump. Those factor would include, affordability, quality of accommodation and entertainment.
“There have been several recent articles suggesting that Las Vegas has sort of lost its way in deciding who the primary market is,” said Whyte. “Is it families, high-end luxury travellers/gamblers, or the traditional market of mid-market American/Canadian people looking for an escape? I believe Las Vegas has a branding and focus issue, and solving that would help clarify direction.”
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