An intriguing promotion by the downtown Las Vegas hotels Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino was in the news headlines last week. It addressed the exchange rate problems for Canadian travelers to the U.S. (US$100 as of Tuesday morning costs Canadians CA$136).

Through August 31, a choose number of gaming, lodging, and beverage options have been included in an "At Par" pledge that has been introduced by these establishments. Regardless of daily exchange rates, eligible Canadian guests will receive US$1 in value for every CA$1 they spend. For example, Canadians can cash in up to CA$500 in promotional slot play, which is priced at the whole US dollar amount.

Canadians staying at the D, Golden Gate, or Circa will pay parity rates when they check in. Additionally, Bar Prohibition! at Golden Gate, Overhang at Circa, and BarCanada at the D Las Vegas are just a few of the beverage locations that are included in the promotion.

Will Canadians care?

But will Canadians actually care? There has been a substantial decline in the number of Canadians visiting Sin City over the past year, as everyone, particularly hotel and casino owners in Las Vegas, is aware. Is it mostly about exchange rates?

"These hotels are trying to address the problem with transactional tactics when, effectively, it is not fundamentally a transactional problem,” said Christopher Whyte, a travel agent with Freestone Travel, outside Toronto. “Costs are only a small part of the problem.”

There has been a Canadian embargo on travel to the United States and products made in the United States in the last year as a result of political and trade tensions between the two nations.

This week, US President Donald Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian products after the Canadians promoted a new trade deal with China that would include the import of thousands of China-made EVs into the Canadian market. Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the antiquated global trade system as "ruptured" and discussed the necessity for middle powers to begin asserting their own economic independence from the world's superpowers, a roundabout dig at the Americans.

The Trump effect

Donald Trump's tariff policy, comments, and demeanor have alarmed many Canadians over the past year. He depreciated the sacrifices and contributions of Canadians in the Afghan War last week (Canada lost 159 troops in that conflict), stating that Canadians survive because of the US. Everything has had a cumulative impact.

According to Statistics Canada, Canadian return trips to the US decreased 23.6% on average in November compared to November 2024, and 7.6 million fewer Canadians crossed via land travel to the US in 2025, a 30% drop from 2024.

As we reported last week, a 33% minority of Canadians surveyed in an Abacus poll would think less of close relatives or friends who flew through Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport. The location recently released October Las Vegas airport traffic data, which indicates a 33.2% year-over-year reduction in Canadians arriving through WestJet that month, as well as a 26.3% decrease through Air Canada, a 22% decrease through Porter Airlines, and a 71.4% decrease through Flair.

Talking about his childhood in Detroit, which is just across the border from Canada, and the fact that he has relatives and friends there, Derek Stevens, the owner and CEO of the three hotel properties, deserves some credit. According to Stevens, Canadians would drive over the border to visit casinos in the Detroit area and get at-par money deals. He has been in the industry in Las Vegas for 30 years and has never seen anything like this.

Canadian Boycott of Las Vegas Gaming

“I just felt things have gotten a little too touchy … with what has transpired economically and a bit politically … it was a good time to come out and say, hey Canada, we miss you,” Stevens told CBC News. “We thought doing the ‘At Par’ was a way of showing that we meant it. (The drop in Canadians coming to Las Vegas) been a combination of exchange rate, and we have this boycott. I understand the background behind it and completely get the feeling of bitterness. I understand it if you are not prepared (to come back). But we want you here, and we want to be up front about it. Canada and the US are better together. Although our countries are in a spat, I don’t think all our people are.”

In the interim, Christopher Whyte brought up a fascinating statistic: thousands of travel agents attend the annual conference in Las Vegas that his company's largest industry partner, a significant North American travel consortium, hosts. Typically, he attends yearly, and their bigger agency typically has between 20 and 30 persons there. Five members of his organization have registered to participate this year. Why should you use resources and go if there isn't a demand from visitors as a travel agent?

Fundamental Problems Cannot Be Resolved By Transactional Strategies

“From where I sit, Canadians have reduced travel to the US primarily for two main reasons,” Whyte said. “One, political concerns that continue to denigrate and threaten the sovereignty of the US’s largest trading partner and traditionally closest ally and two, personal security concerns. ICE activities are getting a lot of coverage up here, and there is continued noise about issues crossing the border (for those who do). Canada is a very pluralistic and multicultural society, and many Canadians believe (rightly or wrongly) that their freedom and personal security might be at risk if they cross the border.

"Personally, I don’t believe these fundamental issues can be addressed by transactional tactics like incentives and discounts,” said Whyte.

A Flight Centre poll of over a thousand adult Canadians regarding their travel plans for 2026 found that 62% of them stated they were less likely to visit the US than in prior years. November saw the research conducted.

Flight Centre Has Seen No Impact on Reservations to date

According to Flight Centre spokesperson Amra Durakovic in Toronto, they haven't seen a "meaningful boost" in Vegas reservations as a result of the deal thus far. It hasn't increased demand, even though some customers are aware of it and have brought it up.

“Part of that is practical,” she said. “The hotels participating are on Fremont Street, while most Canadian travellers still prefer staying on the Strip. What we’re seeing is that US travel decisions are being shaped less by short-term price incentives and more by sentiment — including comfort levels, perceived welcome and the broader political climate. Right now, those factors appear to outweigh individual promotions for many Canadian travellers.”