Dive Brief:
- Three Las Vegas resorts, including the Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, recently launched a program that treats the Canadian dollar at par with the U.S. dollar, leading to a surge in Canadian visitors, per a Wednesday release from Circa Resort & Casino.
- The “At Par” promotion provides eligible Canadian visitors with US$1 for every CA$1 spent in an effort to entice tourists to visit and book at the downtown hotels. The program, which applies to select gaming, hotel, beverage and entertainment offerings, ends Aug. 31.
- In its first month, the program yielded more than 15,000 visitors and 2,700 bookings, creating “real momentum with our Canadian guests right out of the gate,” said Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of the three Vegas resorts as well as the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, in a statement. The focus on attracting the visitor segment comes after several major Vegas resort operators reported a significant decline in Canadian travelers in 2025 earnings reports.
Dive Insight:
The “At Par” commitment arrives amid broader dampened inbound travel and visitor activity in the U.S. in part due to higher prices, strained political relations and rising economic uncertainty. As a result, many Canadians opted to travel in-country last summer, Beth McMahon, CEO of Hotel Association of Canada, said at The Lodging Conference in October.
According to the Circa release, the effort “removes one of the biggest financial barriers to U.S. leisure travel” for Canadians. Las Vegas in particular has faced a downturn in tourism, and experienced a particularly sluggish December, with visits down 9.2% year over year, per LVCVA.
According to the Financial Post, Canadian air travel to the U.S. was down 12.5% in December 2025 year over year, “marking 11 consecutive months of year-over-year declines.”
Several Vegas-based hospitality groups, including Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts, posted widespread performance declines in the fourth quarter of 2025. Caesars specifically reported visitor declines from Canadian tourists in the second quarter of 2025.
The promotion coincides with upcoming major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with some matches being held in nearby Los Angeles, as well as celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.
Wynn CEO Craig Billings said during a fourth-quarter earnings call that he feels good about business in Las Vegas in 2026, while MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle similarly expressed optimism for the year due to steady convention and group activity.
