Even though President Donald Trump eventually dialed back his rhetoric calling Canada the “51st state” and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau its “governor,” Canadian travel to the United States is still at historic lows, as many choose to boycott the country out of protest.
The most recent data released by the Canadian government shows that the number of Canadian car trips returning from the United States dropped by 34% from August 2024. Air travel is also down, while Las Vegas, a city whose economy is driven almost exclusively by tourism, is seeing the brunt of this travel spiral.
Statistics from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority show that the resort and gambling epicenter recorded just over 400 million fewer monthly visitors in June 2025 from the previous year.
Hotel occupancy rates dropped by 15%, and international visitors — of which Canadians and Mexican traditionally make up the bulk — fell by 13% amid protests over tariffs and fears of getting caught up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The drop in travel numbers is also influenced by several high-profile stories of fellow citizens being detained at the border when trying to come in as tourists.
Las Vegas mayor to Canadians: “We love you, we need you, and we miss you”
Amid such an atmosphere, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley held a press conference during which she asked Canadians to come back to her city.
“I’m telling everybody in Canada, please come,” Berkley said at a conference on the state of travel in the state at the start of the month. “We love you, we need you, and we miss you.”
Related: California Governor urges Canadians to travel to his state despite Trump
At a separate press conference in August, Berkley said that travel numbers from Canadians and Mexicans have slowed “from a faucet to a drip,” while the loss of the “large market with the Canadians” risked devastating the state’s economy.
Further numbers from Air Canada show that Air Canada ACDVF and WestJet arrivals into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) were down by a respective 33% and 31% in June.
Image source: LuckyPhotographer/Shutterstock
Las Vegas high rollers “aren’t so keen on coming in right now”
“International travel is way down,” Berkley said in August. “People are not coming to the United States. […] We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren’t so keen on coming in right now.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom made similar efforts to entice Canadians in the spring with a video message saying his state is “2,000 miles away from Washington and a world away in mindset.”
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Individual hotels in states like Oregon and Maine have tried recruiting Canadians with discounted stays and free perks for those who do cross the border and come into the country.
“We want our Canadian friends to know just how much they mean to us,” Keagan Parks, the general manager of the boutique Campfire Hotel in the Cascade Mountain Range said of the 20% discount to Canadians the hotel launched last spring.
“In a time when international travel can feel uncertain, we’re cutting through the noise with a clear message: You’re welcome here. You always have a place around the campfire.”
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Make a free appointment with TheStreet’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
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