Alex Zozaya
ORLANDO — Apple Leisure Group CEO Alex Zozaya said his
company did not benefit financially from the decision to boycott Trump
International Hotels, but he said the decision wasn’t about money.
During a session at Ensemble Travel Group’s annual
conference here on Tuesday, panel moderator Jeff Drew asked Zozaya for an
update on the July decision to dump Trump.
Apple Leisure Group boycotted the promotion and sales of
Trump properties because Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made
derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants when he announced his campaign. Mark
Travel Corp. and Pleasant Holidays also boycotted Trump properties.
“This is not personal, certainly, and it’s not political.
What we gained from this was not money,” said Zozaya. “What we gained from this
was a boost of morale of our stakeholders, and by stakeholders I mean not just
our business partners, but also, of course, all of our staff.”
Zozaya said that about 50% of Apple Leisure Group’s business
is in Mexico, and that the company has customers, investors, partners and staff
members there.
While he conceded that Trump has successfully created a
brand using “very divisive” statements, it’s a brand he does not like, and one
ALG will not support. Boycotting Trump properties “was the right thing to do,”
he said.
“Our position was not to support anything that could help
him in any way to continue to carry this message,” Zozaya said.
The CEO also said he does not believe Trump will be chosen
as the Republican candidate for president, but in the meantime finds his
campaign “very, very entertaining.”