Marriott CEO says Trump policies may be pushing business travelers to Canada
Another travel industry leader is criticizing President Trump, saying his policies and speeches may be pushing organizers of business meetings and conferences to consider going to Canada over the U.S.
Marriott International Chief Executive Arne Sorenson told Bloomberg News that organizers of large meetings and conferences are changing reservations to Canadian cities they perceive as friendlier, such as Toronto, over U.S. cities.
“You’re going to have people coming in from everywhere, and they’re going to be looking at ‘Can we get our people in? Are they going to want to go to that place?’” Sorenson said. “At the moment there’s a perception around the world that the U.S. is a little less welcoming than it was in the past.”
He cited Trump’s efforts to ban travelers from several Muslim-majority countries and speeches that emphasize nationalism.
After Trump took office in January, several others in the travel industry expressed similar worries. Studies have shown that foreign visitation numbers to the U.S. have weakened since January while domestic travel remains strong.
Marriott International, the largest hotel company in the world, is taking over a 65-story luxury tower in Toronto, replacing a Trump brand hotel with Marriott’s St. Regis brand.
To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
