Sports Tourism a big hit for Las Vegas

As it leans into its growing reputation as North America’s major sports and entertainment, Las Vegas is reminding Canadians – its largest international market – of its vast offering of sporting events.

According to the LVCVA’s 2025 visitor data, 5 per cent of all Las Vegas visitors attended a sporting event, equivalent to roughly 1.9 million visitors based on the destination’s 38.5 million total visitors. Three per cent – approximately 1.15 million people – said attending a sporting event was the primary reason for their trip.

During a recent Canadian sales mission, LVCVA executives met with travel advisors and emphasized that Canada remains a priority market. Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations, WestJet, WestJet Vacations are among the partners working with Las Vegas on Canadian campaigns and the city is placing a special focus on sporting events.

Steve Hill, CEO of the LVCVA, observed during that event that: “We’re here to make sure you know that we care about Canada. We know that Canada loves Las Vegas. We love Canada right back!”

The city is now home to the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, while Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix has quickly become one of the city’s marquee annual events.

And Las Vegas is also building toward an even bigger sporting future. The Athletics are scheduled to begin play in a new 33,000-seat Las Vegas ballpark in 2028, adding Major League Baseball to the city’s professional sports lineup.

The Golden Knights have long been marketed as a draw for Canadian fans, with travellers from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal making the trip to Vegas to watch their teams play.

Canadian hockey groups have historically travelled in sizeable numbers for Golden Knights games, turning an NHL game into the centrepiece of a weekend getaway.

And Canadians are staying – earlier this year, three downtown properties – Circa Resort & Casino, The D Las Vegas and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino – introduced an “At Par” promotion, giving eligible Canadian guests one U.S. dollar of value for every Canadian dollar spent on selected hotel, beverage, gaming and entertainment purchases.

It worked; the properties reported 120,000 Canadian visitors, an 80 per cent increase in Canadian visitation during the promotion and more than 8,000 hotel room nights.

Go to www.visitlasvegas.com .