America Is Open
Statement: Your office has one central mission: to sell America to the world. What is your pitch to a skeptical European who is curious about the United States but worried about the political atmosphere?
Nick Adams: The United States has never been better to visit than it is right now. While the entire world slowed down in 2020, and sadly some tourist markets have never fully picked up since, the US is packed full of action, as visitors to the World Cup have shown their fellow Europeans for themselves.
Whether you seek tradition and majesty in our 250th year of independence or something new, exciting and hi-tech, we have it all, from the beautiful beaches of our Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of America coasts to our Midwestern heartlands, our exceedingly hospitable South and our classic cities.
As for division, this is really a media headline. Americans are highly individualistic, enterprising, friendly people who want nothing more than to do what they do best. Whether you’re a chef, hotel manager, tour guide, theme park attendant, bartender, park ranger or star athlete, we are united behind an industry that is the best in the world. Our doors are open and our smiles are wide.
European coverage of the United States is dominated by immigration enforcement, political confrontation, gun violence and trouble at the border. Are European media simply hostile, or has America failed to make its case?
The media loves to cause trouble. There’s an old expression: if it bleeds, it leads. And today, many legacy media outlets are more shameless than ever. Let me shatter these myths one by one. Every nation has a border, customs enforcement and some kind of border patrol. Enforcement against illegal immigration has nothing to do with tourism. If you are a tourist, we welcome you. Law enforcement exists to enforce our sovereignty only against those who fail to respect it.
As for political confrontation, unlike nations that engage in censorship, suppression and state-dictated conformity, we have the First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom to speak, assemble and participate in a free press. Men and women across the world have a lot to say about their government, society and nation. The difference is that we are the only nation that does not have any restrictions on what you can say or how loud you can say it.
Our gun culture, as many World Cup visitors have seen, is incredibly wholesome. It is about skill, it is about respecting the craft and technology of firearms, and it is about good sportsmanship. So many visitors have gone to one of our many shooting ranges. They have had the time of their lives, and they have met wonderful people.
I am America’s case to the world; I am America’s salesman. I am here to shatter the myths and lies. I am here to tell the truth and welcome those who want the best possible vacation with open arms. The World Cup is what we call a proof of concept in the industry. I like to call it the total validation of everything I have always said about how excellent our tourism sector is.
Some Europeans fear that an old social-media post, a political opinion or a misunderstanding at immigration could ruin their trip. What do you tell a German, Austrian or British family worried about entering the country?
This is yet another myth. 99.99% of visitors to the United States have a smooth and easy welcome at one of our many airports. And once you leave the airport, the real fun begins. This is yet another instance of a headline that gets clicks for the media but has nothing to do with the reality of tourism to the United States.
A successful salesman must also know the weaknesses of his product. Which complaints about traveling in the United States do you consider justified, and what still needs to improve?
President Trump, when he first entered the political arena, complained about some of our airports. He knew that this kind of infrastructure should match our world-class hotels, resorts, theme parks, national parks, natural wonders and architectural gems.
Since then, so much has improved. Just go to Trump International Airport in beautiful Palm Beach to see what I mean. President Trump understands the need to always be ahead of the curve and to never fall behind the times in this industry because he has built hotels, resorts, modern residences and the finest golf courses in the world. This is a unique period in tourism because, among his many talents, our president comes from this world and understands it inside and out.
The World Cup and the American Dream
Did the World Cup help international visitors see a different United States from the country portrayed in European political coverage?
Absolutely, just as I said it would. During the World Cup, the First Amendment did its job. It allowed citizen journalists and, more specifically, tourist journalists to tell the true story of the United States in an honest and unfiltered way. Every day, millions of Americans got to see their own country through the wide, excited eyes of tourists, while those in Europe and elsewhere got a glimpse of just how exciting, fun, affordable and open our nation is.
I had the absolute honor of inviting one of these men, Freddy from Germany, to our White House. He came as an ordinary tourist and left as a celebrity and a VIP. That’s what happens when you start dreaming Big Beautiful American Dreams.
You were born in Australia and fell in love with America as a young man. What did you see in the country that many Europeans still miss?
I actually disagree. Thanks to the freedom of modern social media, more people in Europe and elsewhere can see the real story. They don’t have to read about how I fell in love with America as a young man; they can fall in love for themselves. They will see the videos and pictures and hear the stories. They will become aroused at the very sound of the word, the United States of America. They will fall in love on their own because in America there is always more to love and there is something for everyone to love. My job is to explain that this love will not be unrequited. It will instead be embraced in a big way.
What would success look like at the end of your mission, and has the World Cup changed international attitudes toward travel to the United States?
We just had the most successful World Cup in history in terms of the total numbers and in terms of the qualitative levels of excitement, enthusiasm and joy felt by tourists seeing our nation for the first time.
In terms of quantitative achievement, my goal is for the United States to average 100 million international visitors a year by 2030. That is bold. It is meant to be. I know that it can be achieved, especially if we continue to build on the great momentum of the greatest World Cup in world history. This will be good for hotels, small businesses, the entertainment sector, car rental companies, our airlines, our national parks and just about every other segment of our hospitality sector, which doubles as part of our tourism sector.
I would say that attitudes about travel to the USA continue to be stellar. Here too, the World Cup proved what I have been saying all along. To know America is to love America, and to visit America once is to want to come back time and time again.
You have one minute to sell an American vacation to a European family. What do you tell them?
Where else can you have breakfast with your favorite celebrity, have lunch in the friendliest small town on earth, go swimming at a world-class beach, dine elegantly but affordably at night, go hunting or kayaking the next day, see a unique sporting event that evening and then wake up the following day to see a music concert, magic show or go on a thrill ride? Only in America can you do it all, and only in America are all tastes catered for in a spirit of excellence.
Thank you for speaking with us.
