More than 80 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed onto a letter urging Congress to provide relief for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S. Travel Association announced Thursday.
DMOs are currently ineligible for coronavirus relief funding under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) because of their non-profit or quasi-governmental status.
"The actions we take now will have a significant impact on the speed and sustainability of our economic recovery. Much of the strength in the domestic travel and tourism sector can be attributed to statewide and regional DMOs," states the letter signed by House members. "These organizations create and manage initiatives that fuel the economic support to drive tourism and visitor spending across the U.S."
"However, the severity of the coronavirus' economic disruption to domestic travel has threatened the financial viability of many DMOs," the letter adds, pointing out that destination marketing is particularly crucial in smaller cities and regions.
Expanding eligibility for the PPP to local and regional DMOs is one of several policy measures that the U.S. travel industry recently proposed to lawmakers in its efforts to secure additional relief for the sector.
"The travel economy has been devastated by the coronavirus, with more than one-third of the job losses occurring in the travel and hospitality sector," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow, in a statement. "But travel simply will not be adequately prepared to help lead the recovery without the work of destination marketers, which are critical engines of economic development in their states, cities and regions."
"We thank Reps. Matsui, Titus, Bilirakis, and Wilson, and all members who signed this letter for their leadership to address this important issue," Dow concluded.
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