LAS VEGAS \u2014 Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centers reporting fewer visitors compared to last year, especially from abroad, and some officials are blaming the Trump administration\u2019s tariffs and immigration policies for the decline.<\/p>\n
The city known for lavish shows, endless buffets and around-the-clock gambling welcomed just under 3.1 million tourists in June, an 11 per cent drop compared to the same month in 2024. There were 13 per cent fewer international travelers, and hotel occupancy fell by about 15 per cent, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.<\/p>\n
Mayor Shelley Berkley said tourism from Canada — Nevada\u2019s largest international market — has dried up from a torrent \u201cto a drip.\u201d Same with Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren\u2019t so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally,\u201d Berkley told reporters this month.<\/p>\n
A Trump slump<\/p>\n
Ted Pappageorge, head of the powerful Culinary Workers Union, called it the \u201cTrump slump.\u201d He said visits from Southern California, home to a large Latino population, were also drying up because people are afraid of the administration\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you tell the rest of the world they\u2019re not welcome, then they won\u2019t come,\u201d Pappageorge said.<\/p>\n
The Vegas dip mirrors a national trend. The travel forecasting company Tourism Economics, which in December 2024 anticipated the U.S. would have nearly nine per cent more international arrivals this year, revised its annual outlook to predict a 9.4 per cent drop. Some of the steepest declines could be from Canada, the company said. Canada was the largest source of visitors to the U.S. in 2024, with more than 20.2 million, according to U.S. government data.<\/p>\n
Canadian airline data shows fewer passengers from north of the border are arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Air Canada saw its passenger numbers fall by 33 per cent in June compared to a year earlier, while WestJet had a 31 per cent drop. The low-cost carrier Flair reported a whopping 62 per cent decline.<\/p>\n
Travel agents in Canada said there\u2019s been a significant downturn in clients wanting to visit the U.S. overall, and Las Vegas in particular. Wendy Hart, who books trips from Windsor, Ontario, said the reason was \u201cpolitics, for sure.\u201d She speculated it was a point of \u201cnational pride\u201d that people were staying away from the U.S. after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted to make Canada the 51st state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tariffs are a big thing too. They seem to be contributing to the rising cost of everything,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
The sky\u2019s not falling<\/p>\n
At the downtown Circa Resort and Casino, international visits have dipped, especially from Canada and Japan, according to owner and CEO Derek Stevens. But the downturn comes after a post-pandemic spike, Stevens said. And while hotel room bookings are slack, gaming numbers, especially for sports betting, are still strong, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not as if the sky is falling,\u201d he said. Wealthier visitors are still coming, and Circa has introduced inexpensive package deals to lure those with less money to spend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been many stories written about how the `end is near\u2019 in Vegas,\u201d he said. \u201cBut Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination worth visiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
On AAA\u2019s annual top 10 list of top Labor Day destinations, Las Vegas slipped this year to the last spot, from No. 6 in 2024. Seattle and Orlando, Florida — home to Disney World — hold steady in the top two spots, with New York City moving up to third for 2025.<\/p>\n
Reports of declining tourism were news to Alison Ferry, who arrived from Donegal, Ireland, to find big crowds at casinos and the Vegas Strip.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very busy. It has been busy everywhere that we\u2019ve gone. And really, really hot,\u201d Ferry said. She added that she doesn\u2019t pay much attention to U.S. politics.<\/p>\n
Recession-proof businesses<\/p>\n
Just off the strip, there\u2019s been no slowdown at the Pinball Museum, which showcases games dating back to the 1930s. Manager Jim Arnold said the two-decade-old attraction is recession-proof because it\u2019s one of the few places that offers free parking and admission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve decided that our plan is just to ignore inflation and pretend it doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cSo you still take a quarter out of your pocket and put it in a game, and you don\u2019t pay a resort fee or a cancelation fee or any of that jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Arnold said he\u2019s not surprised overall tourism might be slowing, citing skyrocketing pricing at high-end restaurants and resorts that \u201csqueezes out the low-end tourist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mayor said the rising cost of food, hotel rooms and attractions also keeps visitors away.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are feeling that they\u2019re getting nickeled and dimed, and they\u2019re not getting value for their dollar,\u201d Berkley said. She called on business owners to \u201csee if we can\u2019t make it more affordable\u201d for tourists.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s all we want. We want them to come and have good time, spend their money, go home,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cThen come back in six months.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Ty Oneil and Christopher Weber, The Associated Press<\/p>\n
Weber reported from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS \u2014 Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centers reporting fewer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,46,77],"class_list":["post-81749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-economy","tag-international"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}