Photo via Flickr/Gage Skidmore
On Friday, Jan. 20, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. Everybody is wondering what decisions he'll make and how it will affect their respective industries. One travel survey predicted that a million tourists would lose interest in travel should Trump win. The travel industry is also waiting to see how Trump will impact tourism. While the world waits, here are some opinions on what people hope he will do, as well as some concerns that they have.
Mahesh Chaddah of Reservations.com has hope that Trump will use his previous involvement in the travel industry to boost the industry. "With Donald Trump's long-time involvement in the travel industry, coupled with his plan to rebuild U.S. infrastructure, many jobs can be created and make America a welcoming destination," said Chaddah. "Due to improving relations with Cuba, OTAs plan to grow their business in this region. If the relationship were to change, projected growth OTAs planned for would be drastically altered as well.
Greg Geronemus, the co-CEO of smarTours, is very concerned about President-elect Trump reversing the tremendous progress that the States has already made with Cuba. Trump once tweeted, "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate the deal."
"I'm also concerned about his follow through on his threat to repeal President Obama's executive orders related to Cuba and prevent Americans from traveling there," said Geronemus.
"I believe that there is no better way to help the Cuban people than to send Americans to engage in meaningful, people-to-people exchanges," he said. "Ever since Obama's historic announcement in December, 2014 and the massive influx of American travelers, we have seen tremendous progress in Cuba, and there's no better example than the privately-owned restaurants that have served scores of American travelers. The owners of these restaurants have benefited financially and many have reinvested in their communities to restore buildings and help others."
Geronemus is hopeful that President-elect Trump will do the right thing, but he makes sure to add, "If you really want to go to Cuba, go soon."
Greg Antonelle of MickeyTravels LLC believes that Trump can change the travel industry by making travel to the United States easy for foreigners. "One would think owning a hotel empire and everything that goes along with the Trump brand, that he would have a vested interest in doing so," he said.
Time will tell after Jan. 20, once Trump has a chance to move in and make some changes.
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