LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Small businesses across Las Vegas and Nevada are feeling the impact from an overall drop in tourism and international tourism—particularly from Canadian visitors.
According to agency Travel Nevada, 1.49 million Canadians traveled to Nevada in 2024. Canada is Nevada’s top international market, the agency tells FOX5.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority notes that economic factors are the primary cause of a Las Vegas tourism decline, but tourism leaders are also tracking the decrease in international visitors.
Data from Harry Reid International Airport compares travel from previous years. In April’s report, Air Canada had a 13.9% drop in passengers year over year. WestJet passenger numbers saw a 18.4% drop in the same category.
Many tourists flock to Nevada for its outdoor recreation opportunities, which bring in $8.1 billion to the state’s economy and employ 58,000 workers a year, according to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s office.
Many small businesses are crucial to nature tourism.
Many Canadians book bike tours with Las Vegas-based Escape Adventures months in advance, according to owner Jared Fisher. Many decades-long customers have opted not to travel this year, he said.
“Canada is one of our best clients. At Escape Adventures, we really rely on those people. They love America, they love our product. Our product is Red Rock Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon. And they’re willing to sacrifice that right now,” Fisher said.
“That’s a hit to Las Vegas, because that’s maybe less tours for my guides. So that’s less money, less tip money, less hours for them,” Fisher explained.
“Small businesses are at the mercy of the tourism patterns,” said Mandi Elliott of the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition to FOX5 via email. “When tourism suffers, our outdoor industry suffers,” she added.
Elliott explains these businesses’ predicament: with high tensions between the U.S. and Canada, many owners have to refrain from a political stance to avoid alienating customers, she said.
Small businesses with small budgets can only do so much for advertising and messaging, especially to customers abroad, Elliott said; businesses must rely on tourism agencies to push large-scale international tourism campaigns.
Travel Nevada shed light on their work to boost Canadian tourism, providing the following statement to FOX5:
“Travel Nevada remains committed to promoting the state to Canadian travelers to protect our market share and recoup some of the recent losses. We have and will maintain a presence in Canada, conducting a number of trade activities designed to educate Canadian tour operators and visitors about the opportunities available in Nevada. Some of the more recent activations include:
- A sales mission to Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Vancouver where Travel Nevada partners met with tour operators to educate them on all of the activities they can experience in the state.
- Paid media campaigns with Travel Week, Explore, Air Canada Vacations, and Booking.com
- Attending the consumer Outdoor Adventure Shows in Vancouver and Calgary.”
During the NHL playoffs, the LVCVA coordinated with WestJet to provide free drinks and snacks to travelers from Edmonton. Showgirls and Elvis welcomed passengers upon arrival.
“We love our Canadian visitors,” officials said in their June 10 presentation at the LVCVA board meeting. [With a] backdrop of federal trade policy changes and tariffs, and the strained international relations with our Canadian visitors, we wanted to specifically find a way to make sure they felt welcomed, and that they expressed that feeling of joy when they got here, back to their friends and family at home,” officials said.
Last week, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto held a town hall in D.C. to discuss the impact of tariffs and strained relations on the U.S. tourism economy.
FOX5 reached out to Republican Congressman Mark Amodei for further comment.
In April, the Northern Nevada Congressional leader met with the U.S. Travel Association, all to discuss ways to maintain Nevada’s tourism industry and improve it.
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