ASTA Commends Congress' Latest Efforts To Secure COVID-19 Relief for Travel Agencies

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has been working hard since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to fight for financial support for small businesses, including those within the travel agency sector and those efforts haven't slowed amid the discovery of the Omicron variant.

On Friday, three members of Congress, including Reps. Dean Phillips, Earl Blumenauer and Brian Fitzpatrick sent a powerful letter to the House and the Senate stressing the dire need for additional relief for small businesses.

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"While the U.S. economy continues to grow, the recovery has been uneven, and the negative effects of the rapid spread of new COVID-19 variants disproportionately impact businesses which rely upon the in-person gathering to survive, including the restaurant, hospitality, fitness, live events and travel industries," they wrote in the letter, which was signed onto by others, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "We the undersigned call on House and Senate leadership to expedite a targeted relief package that funds all previously eligible requests through the RRF and allows small businesses in the fitness, live events and travel industries to request much-needed federal assistance. These small businesses are critical to the cultural and economic vitality of our communities, and they need our help."

According to The Washington Post, Congress has already shelled out approximately $6 trillion to fight the pandemic and revive the U.S. economy and while funds are running out, ASTA has pointed out multiple pieces of legislation that could provide a much-needed lifeline for the industry heading into 2022.

"ASTA commends Representatives Phillips, Blumenauer, Fitzpatrick, and every member who signed onto this letter to House and Senate leadership calling for additional targeted small business relief. As these legislators recognize, for many small businesses the pandemic is far from over. This is especially true for those in the travel agency sector, uniquely exposed to this global pandemic given their focus on international travel," Eben Peck, Executive Vice President, Advocacy, ASTA, said in a statement.

"As we are seeing in real-time, each new coronavirus variant brings with it new recovery-crushing travel restrictions. Congress should be doing more, not less, to support these travel-reliant small businesses—specifically, passing the Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act (H.R. 6161) and the SAVE Act (H.R. 2120) to include travel agencies in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program or equivalent relief."