It’s been a summer of reckoning for Las Vegas, a city famous for its dazzling lights, high-stakes tables, and the promise of reinvention. But as the mercury soared in August 2025, so did concerns over a sharp drop in tourism—a trend that’s left casino floors quieter and hotel rooms emptier than at any point since the pandemic rebound. According to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the city welcomed just under 3.1 million tourists in June, marking an 11% decline compared to the same month in 2024. Perhaps more troubling for local businesses, international arrivals plummeted by 13%, and hotel occupancy fell by about 15%.
What’s behind this sudden slump? While rising prices have certainly played a role, city officials and industry leaders are pointing fingers at a more controversial culprit: the Trump administration’s tariffs and aggressive immigration crackdown. Mayor Shelley Berkley didn’t mince words, telling reporters this month that tourism from Canada—Nevada’s largest international market—has slowed “to a drip.” The same goes for Mexico, once a steady source of high-spending visitors. “We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren’t so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally,” Berkley explained, according to reporting from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Ted Pappageorge, head of the influential Culinary Workers Union, has dubbed the downturn the “Trump slump.” He believes that the administration’s hardline stance on immigration is scaring off not just international travelers, but also domestic visitors from places like Southern California, home to a large Latino population. “If you tell the rest of the world they’re not welcome, then they won’t come,” Pappageorge told The Inquirer. It’s a sentiment echoed by industry analysts. Tourism Economics, a leading travel forecasting firm, had predicted a 9% increase in international arrivals for the U.S. in 2025. But by December 2024, the company revised its outlook to a 9.4% drop, with some of the steepest declines expected from Canada.
The data back up these worries. Canadian airlines are reporting steep drops in passengers arriving at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport: Air Canada saw a 33% decline in June compared to the previous year, WestJet was down 31%, and the budget carrier Flair suffered a staggering 62% drop. Canadian travel agents say their clients are staying away from the U.S.—and Las Vegas in particular—for reasons that go beyond currency rates. Wendy Hart, a travel agent from Windsor, Ontario, told The Globe and Mail, “Politics, for sure,” are keeping people home. She speculated that it’s a matter of “national pride” after President Donald Trump suggested making Canada the 51st state. “The tariffs are a big thing too. They seem to be contributing to the rising cost of everything,” Hart added.
But not everyone is convinced the sky is falling. Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of the Circa Resort and Casino, acknowledges that international visits—especially from Canada and Japan—have dipped. Still, he points out that the downturn follows a post-pandemic surge in travel. Gaming numbers, particularly for sports betting, remain robust. “It’s not as if the sky is falling,” Stevens told The Las Vegas Sun. He emphasized that wealthier visitors are still making the trip, and his resort has rolled out affordable package deals to attract more budget-conscious guests. “There have been many stories written about how the ‘end is near’ in Vegas,” he said. “But Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination worth visiting.”
Yet, there’s no escaping the fact that Las Vegas has slipped in the national rankings. On AAA’s annual top 10 list of Labor Day destinations, the city dropped to the last spot this year, down from No. 6 in 2024. Seattle and Orlando—home of Disney World—held steady at the top, with New York City climbing to third place. For some visitors, though, the crowds remain as thick as ever. Alison Ferry, who flew in from Donegal, Ireland, told The Irish Times, “It’s very busy. It has been busy everywhere that we’ve gone. And really, really hot.” She admitted she doesn’t pay much attention to U.S. politics, suggesting that the Vegas experience still holds allure for some international travelers.
Just off the Strip, the Pinball Museum is bucking the trend. The quirky attraction, which showcases vintage games dating back to the 1930s, continues to draw steady crowds. Manager Jim Arnold credits the museum’s resilience to its free parking and admission—a rarity in Las Vegas these days. “We’ve decided that our plan is just to ignore inflation and pretend it doesn’t exist,” Arnold said. “So you still take a quarter out of your pocket and put it in a game, and you don’t pay a resort fee or a cancellation fee or any of that jazz.” But even Arnold isn’t surprised to hear that overall tourism might be slowing. He points to skyrocketing prices at high-end restaurants and resorts, which “squeezes out the low-end tourist.”
Mayor Berkley agrees that affordability is a growing problem. “People are feeling that they’re getting nickeled and dimed, and they’re not getting value for their dollar,” she said, urging business owners to “see if we can’t make it more affordable” for tourists. “And that’s all we want. We want them to come and have a good time, spend their money, go home,” Berkley said with a laugh. “Then come back in six months.”
The impact of federal policy isn’t just being felt in the casino corridors of Nevada. On August 19, 2025, religious leaders and protesters gathered in Sterling, Virginia, to condemn what they called controversial detentions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protest, reported by the Loudoun Times-Mirror, called for nonviolent resistance to President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Among the participants were Rev. Carlos L. Malave, president of the Latino Christian National Network, Rabbi Rosiland Gold, rabbi emerita of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, and Rev. Julio Hernandez, executive director of the Congregation Action Network.
One protester wore white in tribute to the “Mothers of the Disappeared,” the Argentinian women who famously protested the kidnappings of their children during Argentina’s military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The symbolism wasn’t lost on those gathered outside the Sterling Immigration Court, where Department of Homeland Security inspectors looked on from a distance. The message was clear: the effects of immigration policy ripple far beyond border towns, touching communities, families, and even the economic lifeblood of tourist destinations like Las Vegas.
As the summer draws to a close, Las Vegas—and the nation—finds itself at a crossroads. The city that bills itself as recession-proof is grappling with forces beyond its control: global politics, shifting public sentiment, and the enduring question of who feels welcome on American soil. For now, the neon lights still burn bright, but the story of Las Vegas’s summer slump is a reminder that even the world’s playground isn’t immune to the winds of change.