August 19 - Zane Kerby, President & CEO, American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA):

 

Against this backdrop of human suffering, extraordinary job loss and business failure, and impending eviction, our elected leaders decided to leave the city for their August summer recess. They have done so without coming to any agreement on additional COVID relief.

 

Nearly 80 percent of our members applied for and received relief from the unprecedented relief programs earlier this year. And even with that assistance, a vast majority of U.S. travel agencies will still go out of business in less than a year if they don’t get more support.

 

Of the of travel advisors who will be out of business if Congress doesn’t provide relief – 25 percent expect to be out of business in three months, and almost 16 percent will be out of business in six weeks or less. These figures say it all.

 

My message to Congress is simple: Get back to work and support the small businesses who desperately need your help. Even if you have done so already, we urge you to contact your Congressional representatives and tell them to get back to work. The future of our industry depends on it!

 

 

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