Ongoing tensions between the United States and Europe over Greenland could trigger another sharp drop in the number of tourists visiting Las Vegas, Sin City bosses fear.
The gambling mecca has battled tanking visitor numbers for a year amid soaring prices and President Trump’s threat to make Canada the 51st state, which kept vital Canadian dollars away from the city.
And now its bosses worry Europeans could launch their own boycott over Trump’s vow to snatch Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
‘Any barrier to international visitation, whether geopolitical tension, policy uncertainty, or added entry barriers, might impact Las Vegas,’ Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
‘With major international events on the horizon that have the potential to attract a global audience, perceptions and ease of travel matter. Visitors respond to how welcome and seamless their experience feels.’
He said visitors consider uncertainty in their decision to travel abroad, and it would be reasonable to assume international travelers ‘could consider other destinations’ due to the political unrest.
On Thursday, Trump announced that the US will have ‘total access’ to Greenland as part of a new deal with NATO allies.
‘There’s no end, there’s no time limit,’ he told Fox Business.
Vegas saw a 20 percent decline in visitors from Canada after Trump’s comments about making it the 51st state. It also saw Canadian airline capacity dip 30 percent on trips to Vegas from Canadians – a fear tourism bosses believe could happen over with Europeans over Greenland
Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said if Europeans remain angry at the US for its Greenland push, the extra direct flights coming in April might not help increase tourism
‘We’re gonna have all military access that we want. We’re going to be able to put what we need on Greenland because we want it. We’re talking about national security and international security.’
Another threat to the Vegas tourism industry is the tariffs Trump proposed on countries that don’t back his acquisition of Greenland.
Although the Republican has rolled back on it since the new deal was announced, the stock market took a significant dip, crashing on Tuesday over the tariff threat. It has since bounced back on Thursday.
However, Vegas has yet to bounce back from the lack of Canadians.
It saw a 20 percent decline in visitors from up North. It also saw Canadian airline capacity dip 30 percent on trips to Vegas.
This totals around 217,000 fewer Canadians visiting Sin City. It’s the lowest amount of Canadian tourists since 2006, Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting analyst Joel Van Over said, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Van Over said Sin City might see a bump in European tourists after the direct Air France flight launches between Paris and Vegas in April.
But Hill said if Europeans remain angry at the US for its Greenland push, the extra flights might not help.
Hill said the US’ plans for Greenland could cause another dip in tourism for Sin City
Joel Van Over said the city has already seen a dip in Canadian visitors after Trump made comments about making the country the 51st state, and warned there could be similar shift with European tourists
Brendan Bussmann, managing partner of Las Vegas-based B Global, agreed, saying Vegas needed to focus on expanding international routes to draw more tourists in.
‘Now is the time that we need to be doubling down,’ he told The Review-Journal.
‘The Air France route will help bring in a new route but this is where Las Vegas needs to look at further expansion into Asia, Australia and further into Europe with routes to destination and world airports in Tokyo, Sydney, Dubai and Istanbul.
‘While we may have some downturn in domestic and in some international routes, this is about the long game and now is the time to move.’
Overall, Hill said the US needs to remain inviting to foreigners to keep the tourism market competitive and thriving.
The Grand Prix event in November failed to attract an overwhelming number of visitors.
The number of passengers making their way through Harry Reid International Airport declined nearly ten percent in November when compared to the same period last year.
The airport served around 3.96 million domestic passengers last month, down from about 4.34 million in November 2024.
On Thursday, Trump announced that the US will have ‘total access’ to Greenland as part of a new deal with NATO allies
‘We’re gonna have all military access that we want. We’re going to be able to put what we need on Greenland because we want it. We’re talking about national security and international security,’ Trump said
That was also a drop from October, when there were already far fewer airport departures and arrivals.
In October, Harry Reid had around 4.5 million domestic travelers pass through, which was a 7.8 percent decline from October 2024.
August and September both had declines of about six percent when compared with the same months last year, indicating that the slump is getting worse.
November marked the tenth straight month of total passenger decreases.
The sharp decline last month occurred despite the city hosting the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was the event’s 75th anniversary and by all accounts was a success.
The three-day race sold out all 300,000 of its tickets. Emily Prazer, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, told Reuters that she was proud of the event and what it delivered, calling it ‘Formula One at its very best.’
‘We elevated the guest experience at every turn and created iconic cultural moments that could only happen in Las Vegas, all while staying firmly rooted in what matters most – the race,’ she said.
But the event’s success did not stem the bleeding tourism numbers. Elevated prices continue to push away visitors who have been complaining about getting fleeced everywhere they go in the city.
Some examples include tourists who reported being charged $26 for a water bottle from a hotel minibar and $74 for two drinks at the Las Vegas Sphere.
