The U.S. Travel Association has been one of the biggest advocates for a second federal government relief package, both on its own and in working with others. The group just joined a coalition of travel entities pushing for an immediate passage of aid.
Now the U.S. Travel Association says the situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic is painting a dire picture based on hard facts - the travel-dependent leisure and hospitality industry is suffering from a 15 percent unemployment rate, nearly double the national level.
A good portion of those have come from airlines, where United and American combined have laid off or furloughed 32,000 employees, as well as the loss of more than 100,000 restaurants that have closed in the United States
That's not just a huge number but also a significant dent in the U.S. economy from just one industry. The travel sector accounted for 11 percent of all pre-pandemic employment in the U.S. yet has suffered 35 percent of all pandemic-related job losses-have been effectively extinguished.
"Every day that passes without relief makes it harder to bring back the jobs that were lost," said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow. "We know that both sides of the political aisle largely agree on the measures necessary to sustain and restore the travel industry, and we urge lawmakers to pass a relief package without delay before year's end. Not only will a relief package go a long way in protecting vulnerable travel industry jobs, but it's the will of the American people for Washington to come together and get a deal done."
U.S. Travel said it will continue to engage with Congress and impress upon legislators the importance of passing a coronavirus relief package before the end of the year. Crucially, the travel industry is asking, at the very least, for a relief package to include measures to enhance and extend the Paycheck Protection Program through the end of 2021, expand eligibility to include 501(c)(6) and quasi-governmental destination marketing organizations and allow for a second draw on loans for the hardest-hit industries.
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