Las Vegas Resorts Gamble on Canadian Dollar Parity to Counter Tourism Decline
In a bold move to revive faltering tourism numbers, Las Vegas resort owner Derek Stevens has launched a promotional initiative offering Canadian dollars at par with U.S. currency. This strategy comes as Canadian visits to Sin City—historically its largest source of international tourists—plummeted by 24% last year.
Political Tensions and Economic Factors Drive Tourism Downturn
The decline in Canadian tourism coincides with heightened political tensions between Canada and the United States during the Trump administration. Trade disputes, sovereignty threats, and inflammatory rhetoric toward Canadian leaders have angered many Canadians, sparking widespread boycotts of American products and travel destinations.
Statistics Canada reports that overall trips by Canadians to the United States dropped by 28% last year, with approximately 22.9 million visits compared to 31.9 million in 2024. This represents a significant downturn in cross-border travel that has affected tourist destinations nationwide.
Las Vegas Feels the Impact of Canadian Boycott
Las Vegas has been particularly affected by the Canadian travel boycott. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reports that overall visits to the city decreased by 7.4% between January and November last year compared to the same period in 2024. Estimated visitor numbers dropped from 38.27 million in 2024 to 35.46 million in 2025.
Canadian visitors specifically declined from approximately 1.4 million in 2024, representing a substantial loss for the city's tourism industry. Daily room rates and revenue per room have also experienced downward pressure as a result of the tourism slump.
Derek Stevens' Personal Connection to Canada
Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where he could see Windsor, Ontario from his childhood bedroom. This personal connection to the Canada-U.S. border region inspired his current promotional strategy.
"I kind of thought it's worthwhile to make sure we say, 'Hey, Canada, we miss you,'" Stevens told the Windsor Star. "You're such a big part of Las Vegas. Tourism is down. I just want to make sure that everybody in Canada is aware, you still got some friends out here in the desert. We're all best friends, we're neighbours."
The "At Par" Promotion Strategy
Stevens' resorts have launched an "At Par" promotion that treats Canadian dollars as equivalent to U.S. dollars for all transactions, whether paying with cash or credit. This initiative aims to counteract not only political tensions but also economic factors affecting Canadian travel.
The Canadian dollar has been trading at approximately $1.38 per U.S. dollar, making American travel more expensive for Canadians. Additional factors contributing to the tourism decline include:
- Increased public safety concerns in the United States
- New entry requirements under Trump administration policies
- Fingerprinting and registration requirements in some cases
- General economic uncertainty affecting travel budgets
Broader Implications for U.S. Tourism
The Canadian travel boycott has created ripple effects across the United States tourism industry. While Las Vegas has implemented specific measures to address the decline, other destinations continue to grapple with similar challenges.
Stevens' initiative represents a creative approach to rebuilding cross-border tourism relationships that have been strained by political and economic factors. The success of this Canadian dollar parity promotion could potentially influence how other U.S. tourist destinations approach marketing to Canadian visitors in the current climate.
As the Las Vegas tourism industry works to recover from significant losses, this targeted approach to Canadian visitors demonstrates how personal connections and innovative promotions might help bridge divides created by international tensions.
