Last week, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency in an epic upset. Jonathan Grella, executive vice president of public affairs for the U.S. Travel Association, spoke with news editor Johanna Jainchill about how the trade group will approach the first president with a hospitality background.
Q: Throughout the campaign, travel leaders were uneasy about Trump's protectionist rhetoric. Is this a concern?
Jonathan Grella
A: One of the most insightful observations I heard [last week] was that what D.C. got wrong about Trump was that D.C. took him literally, not seriously, while his supporters take Trump seriously but not literally. I think there is something in there. And it's certainly not unique to this cycle or this candidacy, but what's said on the campaign trail is often a lot different than what happens after you put your hand on the Bible. That reinforced to us to perhaps not take everything quite so literally and understand a few fundamentals, which are that Trump is unique amongst incoming presidents in that he has a hospitality background and holdings, and certainly that helps us start from past square one.
Q: Will he be a boon to the travel industry?
A: A lot of the time we have to start from scratch. It really did take three years with the current administration before there was a full awareness and buy-in. Thankfully, in this instance we don't have to say, "Hey, we're the travel and tourism industry." The president-elect knows that. He has employees in the service industry and understands these issues. We believe that we have a compelling common ground with the incoming president. Infrastructure was the first issue he mentioned during [his victory speech]. That's great for us.
Q: What about his statements on borders and not allowing in certain groups?
A: Our mantra will sound a little like this: that the threats are ever evolving, that we know full well without security there can be no travel. We have an economy that we need to grow, and the world is an ever more connected place and we need to make peace with that reality and adapt to the ever-evolving threat as opposed to hiding from it. People aren't going to hop on planes if they don't feel that peace of mind.
Q: What's your wish list for his administration?
A: We'll be unveiling a set of recommendations for transforming the TSA and aviation security. Much of our focus will have to do with trusted-traveler programs and growing their ranks as well as issues of connectivity, ensuring that people can get into and around the U.S. safely and smoothly.
Q: But Trump has called for an end to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
A: If half the people who come to the U.S. come through VWP, that would leave us behind and reduce our share of international travelers, and that's not something we want. The core values around America's greatness, competitiveness and security, the incoming president holds dear, and he will empower his team to execute against that agenda. Sound bites from the campaign trail have a way of feeling different once in office. We look forward to an ongoing dialogue with the administration. At the beginning of the Obama administration, we were strangers to one another, and they learned the hard way the size and control of the industry. Now there is a travel and tourism strategy and fantastic understanding and rapport between us. If the game is all about cultivating relationships, then I put my money on the hospitality industry every time.