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Las Vegas tourism would suffer under Trump tariffs, trade group warns

Updated February 3, 2025 - 4:45 pm

The U.S. Travel Association believes new tariffs on Canada proposed by President Donald Trump could negatively affect visitation to and spending in the United States.

And statistics from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Harry Reid International Airport suggest Las Vegas could be a destination most affected by Trump’s tariff proposal, especially in light of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his citizens to spend domestically instead of in the United States.

LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill affirmed the importance of Canadian tourists who have packed Las Vegas as seasonal “snowbirds” and supported curling tournaments staged in the city.

“We deeply value our Canadian visitors and the strong connection they have to Las Vegas,” Hill said. “Canada is our number one source of international visitation, given its close proximity and ease of travel to the destination.”

In an email to the Review-Journal, Calgary, Alberta, resident Barb Taylor said she had three upcoming trips to Las Vegas planned, but would cancel them if the tariffs are implemented.

“Until Mr. Trump stops this ridiculous tariff war, I will be cancelling our upcoming vacations,” she said. “I love Las Vegas. I love the people and I hope this mess is settled soon.”

Early Monday, Trump postponed the implementation of 25 percent tariffs on Mexico by 30 days and later in the day, backed down on similar sanctions against Canada.

While tariffs would not directly affect the cost of travel to and from the U.S., an organized effort to spend domestically would be a retaliatory measure against the U.S. The exchange rate also is playing havoc with Canadian travelers with every Canadian dollar spent worth about 69 cents as of Monday.

‘Choose Canada’

“Now is the time to choose Canada,” Trudeau said. “It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national and provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer.”

The administration announced that after Trump had discussions with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trudeau, the planned tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would be paused for a month.

The purpose of the tariffs is to force countries to crack down on illegal drug shipments into the United States.

The Washington D.C.-based Travel Association on Monday issued a statement warning of the possible impact a drop in tourism could have on U.S. tourism destinations. It said Florida, California, Nevada, New York and Texas are the top five most visited states by Canadians and those states could see declines in retail and hospitality revenue, as shopping is the top leisure activity for Canadian visitors.

The airport and LVCVA statistics bear that out.

Airport, tourism statistics

According to Reid statistics, 1.8 million passengers traveled to Las Vegas on six Canadian airlines in 2024 — nearly half of the total number of international passengers that used the Las Vegas airport. Discount carrier Westjet and Air Canada flew the most passengers to Las Vegas from several Canadian destinations.

The LVCVA said 1.4 million Canadian visitors came to Las Vegas in 2023 — the most recent year the LVCVA has data for — roughly 30 percent of all international visitors. That figure was up 57.7 percent from 2022 totals.

The LVCVA’s breakdown of Canadian visitation, which only includes air passengers and not those who arrived by another means, indicates that the average Canadian visitor stayed 5.5 days and spent $1,189 per trip, the least among international visitors, but on average, they made more than one trip per year.

Among the expenditures of the average Canadian visitor: $355 on lodging, $350 on entertainment, $262 on food and beverages, $109 on shopping, $100 on transportation within the United States and $13 on miscellaneous other spending.

Nationwide, the U.S. Travel Association says Canadians made 20.4 million visits in 2024, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs. A 10 percent reduction in Canadian travel could mean 2 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending and 14,000 job losses.

Representatives of the Travel Association had no further comment about the tariff proposals or Trump’s sudden reversal.

Representatives of the Nevada Resort Association did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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