The next four years look bright for travel technology

Analyzing election results is a key aspect of my work as the leader of the Travel Technology Association, the industry’s advocate with policymakers in Washington, DC, state capitals and city halls nationwide. Now that all the votes are in, I’m pleased to report that travel technology companies have many reasons to be optimistic about Donald Trump's presidential reelection and Republicans’ full control of Congress.

Unlike other presidents, President Trump has direct, personal experience with both travel and technology. He has built and operated hotels, owned an airline and more recently launched a social media platform. During his new term, the benefits of travel and tourism in the United States will be on full display as the nation co-hosts the upcoming World Cup tournament, celebrates its 250th birthday and welcomes the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Most of all, for the travel technology industry in particular, I am encouraged by President Trump’s promise to “unleash the full potential of American industry and American innovation.”

As an industry consisting entirely of innovators, both small and large, we have an excellent opportunity to shape and benefit from the Trump Administration’s pro-innovation policies.

Promoting artificial intelligence

The Trump Administration plans to prioritize the U.S.’s leadership in AI technology. On the campaign trail, President Trump announced that he would repeal President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on AI, criticizing it for hindering innovation and being overly focused on its potential harms.

President Trump and congressional committee leaders are poised to take a “hands-off” approach to AI and instead highlight its positive use cases, creating an opening for the Travel Technology Association.

Our industry has many AI-enabled innovations to demonstrate to policymakers and Trump administration officials, including new generative AI tools that help travelers plan and navigate their trips and established AI-enabled applications to streamline backend systems.

Competition and dominant tech platforms

While a policy of deregulation on AI is all but certain, other signs are emerging about the Trump Administration’s approach to dominant tech platforms like Google and their unfair ability to stifle competition with other companies, including small AI innovators.

The recent U.S. vs. Google decision, in which Google was found to be a monopolist in the online search market, was initiated during the first Trump Administration, and vice president-elect J.D. Vance has long held critical views about Google’s anticompetitive practices. President Trump’s recent announcement of Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of the GOP’s most zealous antitrust and anti-“big tech” advocates, as his nominee for Attorney General may also be evidence of the new administration’s plans to expand competition and support innovation.

Advocating for greater competition is a top priority for the Travel Technology Association. Our industry pioneered the technologies that enable consumers to have competitive travel pricing, availability, and reviews at their fingertips. Because of these innovations, travel suppliers – airlines, hotels and car rentals – must compete, benefiting consumers with more options and lower prices.

Helping start-ups to thrive

President Trump has made it clear that his administration plans to remove barriers to innovation, supporting “little tech” through favorable tax policies and a more streamlined M&A landscape. Reducing bureaucratic red tape and improving access to capital will provide travel tech startups and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with the financial and operational flexibility needed to grow.

The Travel Technology Association welcomes President Trump’s approach to startups and SMBs. Twenty-five years ago, the Travel Technology Association was founded to support small, innovative travel tech companies, many of which are major household names today. This week, I am proud to be at the Phocuswright Conference in Phoenix to introduce the association’s expanded efforts to champion the next generation of travel tech innovators.

As part of our Advocate membership, we will now provide startups and SMBs with knowledge on how to build and scale their businesses, opportunities to build community with fellow small travel tech innovators and, importantly, assistance in developing their advocacy voice on public policies that directly impact them. I’ll be on stage on Wednesday at the conference to present free Advocate memberships to the top winners of Phocuswright’s Launch competition.

As President Trump’s new policies are implemented, travel technology companies stand to benefit from his efforts to accelerate the pace of innovation, which will ultimately support travelers and travel service provider clients, our industry’s highest priority.