Canada’s boycott of Las Vegas started as a protest. It has become something bigger: a deciding issue in an American election.
The numbers are stark. Canadian visits to Las Vegas fell 17.4% in 2025 — one of the sharpest drops on record — and airport data compiled by CBC News suggests 2026 could be even worse, as Canadian airlines fly fewer passengers than last year. The decline helped drive Las Vegas’s largest overall visitor drop since records began in 1970 (excluding the COVID-19 pandemic), with citywide visitation down 7.5%. In August 2026, barely half of all downtown hotel rooms were occupied.
Casino executives name the cause explicitly. MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle told his earnings call: “If you look at a place like Canada, we are off considerably.” Caesars CEO Tom Reeg added: “There’s a unique flavour to what’s gone on with Canada.” The drop is attributed to the trade war and “51st state” rhetoric; visits from Mexico, despite its own tariff dispute, are actually up slightly.
Now Nevada Democrats have branded the slump the “Trump Slump” in campaign ads ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, calling Canada the state’s largest source of international tourists. Workers’ unions blame the downturn for pain hitting some 60,000 Culinary Union members. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley admitted she “did not realize until we offended the Canadians — how much of our foreign business came from Canada.”
Hornbuckle even raised the issue directly with Trump in an Oval Office meeting in September, seeking help reviving international travel. Trump’s reported response was one word: “Right.” Read about Stephen Hubbard’s release and LeBron’s 76ers debut.
Bhudev Bhagaliya is an experienced and senior journalist who has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of Hindi journalism through his profound understanding and precise writing style. With over two decades of experience in the field of journalism, he has held key responsibilities at Dainik Hindustan for 12 years and at Amar Ujala for one year. Currently, he serves as the Content Editor for the Jagrook Youth News newspaper and portal, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and credibility of the news content. Bhudev Bhagaliya consistently writes about issues that help raise awareness within society and among the younger generation.