Robert Amsterdam recently authored a personal opinion article published in the trade magazine Travel Weekly on the impact of the Trump administration’s overtly hostile attitude toward foreign travelers, and what companies should do about it. An excerpt below:
American businesses, including those in the hospitality and travel sector, need to become more mindful of their role in promoting America’s core values, even if some members of the administration seem to be departing from them. We advise many clients on developing corporate foreign policies, which in some cases require companies to be brand ambassadors for their nation.
At a moment when minorities of the population are under attack, corporations need to ask themselves on which side of these basic values they want to stand.
In such a highly politicized environment, companies need to adopt political strategies to assess risk; adjust operations; communicate successfully with stakeholders and customers; and outperform their competitors.
An interesting example of this was seen during the recent fallout of corporate sponsorships at the Fox News network following an unsettling pattern of sexual harassment claims. The pressure placed on the network by advertisers reached a breaking point, forcing Fox executives to dispense with the network’s leading personality despite extremely high ratings. It was a clear message that some values matter more than metrics.
Maybe now is the time for more travel industry leaders to similarly take a stand for their values in response to inhospitable policies being proposed by the administration.