Trump's Tourism Envoy: Inside Nick Adams' Plan to Sell America
About this episode
Gordon Smith interviews Nick Adams about his role as the Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism and his plans to promote U.S. tourism.
America has never had the equivalent of a tourism minister — until now. In March, President Trump created the role of Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values, and handed it to Nick Adams: conservative commentator, self-styled "alpha male," and the loudest pitchman U.S. travel has ever had. In this special edition of the Skift Travel Podcast, Gordon Smith sits down with Adams for one of his first extended interviews in the role. They cover the operational push behind the 2026 World Cup, mounting concerns over transit pricing and visa wait times, and the "fake narratives" Adams says are distorting global perceptions of the U.S. Adams also lays out his ambitious goal of 100 million international visitors by 2030, and explains what "American exceptionalism" looks like through a tourism lens. It's a candid conversation with one of the most outspoken voices in U.S. travel — and a central question hanging over it all: is the world ready to buy what Nick Adams is selling? Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/…
People in this episode
Host: Gordon Smith
Guest: Nick Adams
Topics covered
- American tourism
- Nick Adams
- travel policy
- international visitors
- American exceptionalism
- 2026 World Cup
Keywords
- tourism
- Nick Adams
- American exceptionalism
- international visitors
- 2026 World Cup
- travel policy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: President Trump, U.S. travel
Places: America, U.S.
More episodes of The Skift Travel Podcast
- Travel’s AI Problem Is Bigger Than Most Companies Realize
- Airbnb Is Becoming a Real OTA
- America’s Travel Problem Is Getting Worse
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Skift Travel Podcast podcast page.