Travel at the Las Vegas airport fell 7.5% in February. Domestic passenger counts declined, while arrivals from major Mexican and Canadian airlines fell sharply.
Harry Reid International released its monthly stats Thursday that showed just over four million passengers going through the airport in February, down from 4.33 million a year ago.
Domestic travel fell by 7.7 percent from 3.98 million in February 2024 to 3.67 million last month. Internationally, travel fell by 2.6% year-over-year in February to 270,651. For the year, international travel is up 7.9%, bolstered by CES in early January.
So far in 2025, 7.63 million passengers have passed through the airport, down from 7.98 million in the first two months of 2024, a decline of 3.5%.
It’s too soon to say what the numbers indicate fully. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will release its February visitor numbers by the end of March. One reason domestic air travel may be down is fewer Las Vegas residents are traveling, but it could be a sign of the economy weakening.
Also, what remains to be seen is the reason for the decline in air travel from Mexico and Canada and whether it’s a trend that continues.
President Trump imposed higher tariffs on the two countries, prompting those nations’ presidents to reciprocate. Some Canadians have pledged to boycott travel to the U.S. as President Trump has talked about annexing the northern neighbor.
Fewer passengers came from Canada in February, with a 5% decline to 50,652 reported by Air Canada compared to February 2024. That count is down 7.7% from January.
Flair, another Canadian airline, reported a 55.2% year-over-year decline to 11,740. Westjet fell 17.3% year-over-year.
Aeromexico reported a 15.8% decline from 10,008 to 8,425. It catered to 22,854 passengers in January, making a 63% decline in one month. Volaris, another Mexican airline, fell 15.6% year-over-year and 29% from January. VivaAerobus fell 14.8%.
U.S. Travel Association fears that imposing tariffs could impact Canadians travel and spending in Las Vegas and rest of U.S.
In February, proposed tariffs on Canada could impact Canadian visitation to and spending in the United States, including to Las Vegas, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
The top 5 most visited states by Canadians — Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas — could see declines in retail and hospitality revenue, as shopping is the top leisure activity for Canadian visitors, the trade group said.
Canada and Mexico are the two leading foreign destinations bringing visitors to Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. An estimated 817,221 Canadians came to Las Vegas in 2023, the latest year available, 50.6% of international visitation. Mexicans accounted for 330,044 or 20.4%.
