Canadian tourism to Las Vegas has dropped significantly because of trade tensions, forcing casino executives to launch aggressive marketing campaigns and offer discounts to attract tourists to their properties.
Derek Stevens, co-owner of three downtown Las Vegas casinos, instituted one of the more successful programs to attract skeptical Canadian tourists to Fremont Street.
At Par, which ran from January through the end of August, reportedly attracted more than 120,000 visitors to downtown, which includes the D Las Vegas, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, and Circa Resort & Casino.
Eligible Canadian guests received $1 in value for every Canadian dollar spent, regardless of daily exchange rates, a decision that removed a financial barrier to U.S. leisure travel.
“These visitors were directly from Canada and given everything that’s happening in our in our geopolitical situation right now, that’s great to see,” Cliff Atkinson, CEO and president of the Fremont Street Experience, told CDC Gaming.
“People still want to have fun,” Atkinson said. “(Stevens’) promotion had significant impact, quite frankly, not only on downtown Las Vegas, but I think in Las Vegas as a destination in general.”
In a video released on August 31, Stevens said there were many nights on Fremont Street where it felt completely taken over by Canadians.
“We absolutely felt that,” said Atkinson, whose association promotes gambling and entertainment in downtown Las Vegas.
Atkinson was with Stevens after Canadian band Finger Eleven played a concert on Fremont Street June 27. There were fans who approached after the show, thankful for the free entertainment, Atkinson said.
At Par provided a boost during what Plaza Hotel & Casino CEO Jonathan Jossel says is traditionally the slow summer season in Las Vegas.
“In addition, Las Vegas cannot maintain the record visitation numbers it saw after the pandemic,” Jossel said. “So, the summer months this year were not as strong as they had been in prior years.
“However, the Plaza still had many busy weekends this summer in large part due to our free Friday fireworks shows and offering our all-inclusive hotel offer for the third year in a row,” Jossel added. “We have always been committed to thinking outside of the box when it comes to introducing new amenities or offers that attract guests.
“So, whether it is doing our fireworks, offering Vegas’ first all-inclusive package, adding pickleball courts, or opening downtown’s only smoke-free gaming space, the Plaza continues to evolve to meet the needs of our guests, and we look forward to an uptick in visitation this fall.”
Atkinson says Fremont Street benefits from several factors including its proximity to nine casinos, free entertainment and numerous food options. The Mob Museum, the Neon Museum and the Downtown Container Park are nearby.
But Fremont Street has burnished its reputation for safety by using members of the Las Vegas police department and its own security force.
“It’s very safe, and if you mess up, we come out of the woodwork to shut that down,” Atkinson says. “Frankly, I think we’re the safest street in America, given the presence that’s here, the amount of people.
“Really, we think 99% of the visitors really are here to just have a good time. But whenever there’s that many people, there’s always one or two bad apples. But we will respond quickly.”
Fremont Street has traditionally appealed to locals and older gamblers. But in recent years there’s been a conscious effort to attract younger people to the area, notably through a free concert series which this year hosted Sleeping with Sirens, a hardcore/emo pop band.
Atkinson says the concert attracted more than 15,000 people.
“That is a younger entertainment act that drew a younger audience,” he said. “Our hotels definitely saw the impact with the younger audience really discovering Fremont Street, in some cases, for the first time, in hopes that they come back because they have fun, they see the diversity of the product, and the value that only Fremont Street experience can offer.”
While alcohol is part of the appeal of Fremont Street – there are at least a half dozen establishments where a patron can buy a beverage without having to go inside – there’s also increased emphasis on providing family friendly activities. The Slotzilla zip line is among the most popular attractions, along with the museums and the Arts District.
“Walking up and down our street, especially in daytime, we’ve seen an uptick in daytime activity among families,” Atkinson says. “We really look at our data to see what we are doing and what can we do better or differently.”
Atkinson said they get a lot of data from business done on Slotzilla.
“We’ve seen families who are here, and quite frankly, the families are feeling the value down here as well,” Atkinson said.
