Former Mexico tourism secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo was named CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) last month, replacing David Scowsill, who stepped down in June. News editor Johanna Jainchill spoke with Guevara about how her Mexico experience will help guide her approach and about her plans to work with President Trump.
Q: You called this a "critical time for travel and tourism." What are the main challenges facing the industry? 
Gloria Guevara Manzo
A: If you look back at the last eight years, a lot of progress has been made in terms of making sure there is better appreciation for our sector. However, we are reaching a point where in some regions and countries the feeling is the progress we made might be going backwards. One example is travel facilitation. A lot of progress was made, a lot of initiatives were implemented, but in some parts of the world they are implementing more barriers and longer processes that might affect travel facilitation.
Q: Why is this happening?
A: There is valid concern in terms of security. But we also need to continue working closer with governments to make sure that we are aligned about what we care about and work together. Governments don't create jobs, the private sector creates jobs. To do that and reduce poverty and increase opportunities, it needs support from governments. We don't want to compromise security. However, there are things we can do together to have more security and have more travel, and at the end of the day, more jobs. It's a win-win.
Q: Is it difficult to promote open borders when the Trump administration has enacted policies that do the opposite?
A: I followed the campaign very closely, and one of the things Trump promised was to create jobs. And that's an area where we can help. He's a businessman. He owns multiple hotels, so he understands the dynamics and the mindset of the private sector, which is good. What we need to do, and what I'm planning to do, is create an agenda where we can work together to help his administration create jobs while we help the travel sector grow. If there is no growth there are no new jobs; 9.4% of all jobs in the U.S. are related to travel and tourism.
One reason WTTC asked me to be their CEO is my background. I worked in the private sector for many years in travel and tourism and also within a government in a very high position. I know how the government thinks. I have perspective from multiple players.
Q: How will your experience in Mexico, which is often referred to as unsafe but still has tourism growth, guide you during this period of travel safety concerns?
A: We learned a lot of lessons in my time in Mexico. It is very important to have an open channel of communication, not only with the travelers but with the trade, and to spend time communicating our story. If we don't communicate, bad news will fill the void. That's what happened in our case. In Mexico there was a perfect storm: the financial and economic crisis, H1N1, then security. We created a plan that engaged everyone: the private sector, unions, academia, government, the trade. Everyone was part of a business-led initiative so we could move forward with a clear communication plan. My recommendation for destinations is to have a clear strategy and understand who your best partners are to communicate your situation. The travelers will not stop traveling. These situations will not change our way of life. We need to move on and be informed.
Q: What are some initiatives ahead at the WTTC?
A: We'll be more engaged in working with specific agendas for the regions. For instance, we might have one agenda for Latin America, another for North America, one for Europe, and they will include some specific things that we believe need to happen in order to create more jobs and move the dial.