Las Vegas bets millions to win back Canadian visitors

Las Vegas goes all-in on Canada

Las Vegas is spending millions to bring Canadian tourists back.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) board approved a three-year, $3.48 million marketing contract with Toronto-based Reach Global Marketing on March 10, 2026.

Two optional extension years could push the total to about $6 million over five years.

The contract runs from July 2026 through June 2029 and covers everything from airline partnerships to media campaigns targeting Canadian travelers.

Canada drives big money for Las Vegas

Canada has ranked among the top two countries sending international visitors to Las Vegas every year since 2000. In 2025, nearly 1.2 million Canadians visited the city, making up about 25% of all international visitors.

LVCVA Vice President of Marketing Fletch Brunelle said Canadian visitors generated about $1.9 billion in direct economic impact for Las Vegas that year.

Las Vegas welcomed roughly 4.75 million international visitors in total in 2025.

Tariffs and politics pushed Canadians away

Canadian tourism to Las Vegas dropped sharply after President Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump also made repeated suggestions that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state, which offended many Canadians.

On top of that, a strong U.S. dollar made American trips more expensive for Canadian travelers.

High prices in Las Vegas and weakened consumer confidence added to the problem, pushing a growing number of Canadians to reconsider their travel plans.

The drop sent visitor levels back 20 years

The numbers tell a hard story. Canadian visitors to Las Vegas fell 20% or more depending on the month, according to casino owner Derek Stevens.

Canadian airline capacity to the city dropped an estimated 30 to 40%, pushing visitor levels back to where they were in 2006.

Las Vegas overall drew 38.5 million visitors in 2025, down 7.5% from the 41.7 million who came in 2024.

The LVCVA said it was the steepest annual decline since the agency began keeping records in 1970, outside of the pandemic years.

Most Canadians say U.S. politics put them off

A Longwoods International tracking survey from February 2026 found that 59% of Canadian travelers said U.S. government policies, trade practices, and political statements made them less likely to visit the U.S.

That figure climbed from 53% in October 2025, though it was down from a peak of 63% in July 2025.

Of those influenced by U.S. politics, 73% pointed to both tariffs and statements by U.S. political leaders as the main negative factors.

About 45% of those deterred said they would travel within Canada instead, and 24% said they would go to other countries.

Canadian tourism affects the whole country

Las Vegas is not alone. A Joint Economic Committee report found that passenger vehicle crossings from Canada into the U.S. fell nearly 20% between January and October 2025 compared to 2024.

In 2024, Canadian tourists contributed $20.5 billion to the U.S. economy and supported about 140,000 American jobs.

The U.S. Travel Association forecast a 3.2% decline in international tourism spending for 2025, a loss of roughly $5.7 billion compared to the year before.

Some border states saw Canadian crossings fall by as much as 27%.

Other U.S. cities chase the same visitors

Las Vegas is competing with a growing list of American cities for Canadian travelers. California runs a “California Loves Canada” campaign and spends about $5.2 million a year on Canadian marketing.

Florida, which drew more than 3.3 million Canadian visitors in 2024, has stepped up airline partnerships and promotions. Michigan is pitching road trips and Great Lakes experiences to travelers in nearby Ontario.

Cities including Buffalo, Seattle, and Boston have launched their own discount programs and events aimed at Canadians.

Reach Global has deep roots in Canada

Reach Global is not a new partner. The agency has served as the LVCVA’s Canadian marketing representative for about 20 years, with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

Under the new contract, Reach Global will support direct and nonstop air service between Canadian cities and Las Vegas, run consumer-facing public relations campaigns across Canada, and organize familiarization trips for Canadian travel professionals.

Sales missions in Canadian cities are also part of the plan.

Downtown casinos offer Canadians a dollar deal

Some Las Vegas businesses are not waiting for the marketing campaign to kick in.

Three downtown properties, Circa Resort, the D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate, launched an “At Par” promotion in late January 2026.

The deal treats the Canadian dollar as equal to the U.S. dollar on select hotel, gaming, and beverage purchases through Aug. 31, 2026.

More than 15,000 Canadians visited those three properties in the first 30 days of the promotion. Some tourism experts have said financial deals alone may not overcome the political concerns driving Canadians away.

Las Vegas had a rough year across the board

The Canadian decline was part of a wider slowdown for Las Vegas in 2025. Hotel occupancy dropped to 80.3%, down 3.3 percentage points from the year before.

The average daily room rate fell 5% to $183.52, and revenue per available room dropped 8.8% for the year. Convention attendance held relatively steady at about 6 million but still sat 10% below the 2019 record.

LVCVA CEO Steve Hill pointed to cautious consumer sentiment and international travel hesitancy as key factors.

Big events give Las Vegas reason for optimism

Las Vegas is counting on a packed 2026 calendar to help turn things around. The city will host the FIFA World Cup, the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, and WrestleMania 42.

The LVCVA expects to host about 1.2 million tradeshow attendees in 2026, up from 1 million in 2025. The board also approved $340,000 for a booth at the IPW international travel trade show in Fort Lauderdale in May.

January 2026 showed a slight uptick in visitors, giving the city its first early sign of a recovery.

The marketing push starts this summer

The LVCVA is moving forward, but some of what happens next is out of its hands.

More promotions and deals driven by competition for Canadian visitors could benefit all travelers heading to Las Vegas. The new marketing contract kicks off in July 2026.

Whether the effort pays off may depend as much on the direction of U.S.-Canada trade policy as on any campaign.

For now, Las Vegas is betting that going directly after Canadian travelers beats waiting for the political climate to shift.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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