Hotel and other travel executives asked the Trump administration to set a target for the U.S. to draw about 100 million international visitors a year by 2030, or about 25% higher than the nation's pre-pandemic peak.
The goal was pitched during a Wednesday meeting between President Donald Trump and 11 travel executives.
Hotels were well represented. Marriott CEO Tony Capuano, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta, IHG CEO Elie Maalouf, Accor's Omer Acar (CEO of Raffles & Orient Express), MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle, and Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg attended.
Leaders of other travel sector companies, such as Hard Rock, The Venetian, American Airlines, and Booking Holdings, also attended. The executives also spoke off the record with Secretary Duffy and "other" cabinet secretaries, Hornbuckle said. Geoff Freeman, head of the U.S. Travel Association, helped to arrange the meetings.
President Trump did most of the talking, according to the official read-out and video of the public event. Hotels weren't directly mentioned, but Trump did call out Nassetta: "He's a good -- he's a friend of mine.”
The president referred to the hotel and travel companies represented as "great companies.”
Hornbuckle said to Trump: "If we're going to meet Geoff's goal of 100 million, we need your help. We need your direct involvement, and we know we can make this better. If we can get there, it's 400,000 more jobs. I want to also thank you on behalf of our employees; no tax on tips has gone a long way.”
Nassetta spoke the longest and said 2026 "was the best summer we've ever had in the history of our business, bar none." He praised Trump's policies on cutting regulation, cutting taxes, and supporting AI and other infrastructure investment.
"The leadership that you've been providing has been great for our business," Nassetta said, thanking the president.
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