The first day of IPW 2026 in Fort Lauderdale featured an impromptu press conference by Nick Adams, President Donald Turmp’ s Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism.
At a time of tension between US Travel and Brand USA over messaging to inbound tourism and sweeping budget cuts, Mr Adams came to the media room and gave a briefing to m media delegates.
Travel Extra asked Mr Adams if the United States is cherrypicking the markets it wants the tourists from, that there are about 60 or 70 countries where the access has become much more difficult, that visa waiver country residents were welcome but there is some question mark over the others.
Mr Adams shared: my goal is to bring as many international visitors from as many places as possible. My message is that if you want to come to the United States for a holiday, if you want to come for the World Cup, if you want to come for the Olympic Games, follow our rules, follow our laws and you will be welcome.
In reply to a question about World Cup prices Mr Adams shared: I can tell you though that there are a lot of tickets that are under $300 and that is the equivalent of a college game in the United States. So I would push back on this concept that World Cup tickets are super expensive. I’m more concerned about some of the stories that we’ve heard regarding commuting there, trains, things like that, but there are there’s some private sector solutions that we’re looking at. There’s a whole lot in play. So I think at the end of the day, people are going to be very happy. And I predict that this is going to be the best World Cup that we’ve ever had.
If you like you can of a minute of an hour of a day of a month of a year go by without bringing every single international visitor to the United States so that they can learn and see the truth for themselves that the United States is the most hospitable, the most welcoming and the most exciting destination on earth. Now, I’m biased, but you’ve also got to remember that at one point I came here as a tourist. And I was a tourist.
That is one of the reasons, I’m sure, that President Trump gave me this role because I know what being a tourist to the United States is like. I was a tourist for many years before I became an American. And there are so many hidden gems across this country. It is, when I say that the 50 states are like 50 different nations, they really are. There is everything possible.
he really remarkable part about the United States is that you don’t just step into or you don’t just step onto a different soil. You step into a frame of mind. There is nowhere that makes the heart beat faster, the mind dream bigger or the soul feel more nourished than the United States.
I dreamt my biggest dreams while traveling as a tourist in this country. There is something about the optimism. There is something about the energy that exists in this country that make people want to go and do great things back in their homeland. Want them to dream big and achieve as much as they can.
