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As the U.S. Congress continues its negotiations for a new coronavirus relief package for individuals and businesses, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has called on Congressional leadership to enact measures to renew business travelers’ confidence and to curb the devastating impact of the pandemic on this vital sector of the global economy. The August 3 letter to Congressional leadership calls for increased funding for rapid COVID-19 testing across the U.S. and for additional financial relief for stricken travel businesses that continue to face the near-cessation of all work-related travel worldwide.
“As the pandemic enters its sixth month in the U.S., business travel to date has shown only minimal signs of recovery, and our more than 9,000 members are reeling financially,” said GBTA Executive Director Dave Hilfman, who is a long-time senior airline leader. “As Congress considers how best to boost the economy and protect public health, we strongly urge leadership to prioritize and fund rapid COVID-19 testing to restore travelers’ confidence. We also urge Congress to take actions that will give the travel sector peace of mind from potentially crippling litigation and expanded access to the relief funds necessary to stay in business and keep people at work.”
As we all know too well, the business travel industry has come to a halt worldwide, according to GBTA research. Some 98 percent of GBTA member companies report having cancelled or suspended all international business travel. Nearly the same number—95 percent—report having canceled or suspended all or most domestic travel.
In addition to expanded testing and qualified immunity against potentially fraudulent class-action lawsuits for businesses that follow public safety guidelines and take recommended precautions against coronavirus infection, the GBTA Congressional letter calls for the extension and expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); improvements to the Small Business Administration’s Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program; and the reinstitution of allowable tax deductions for business meals at restaurants.
The GBTA letter in full can be read here.
“This pandemic has touched every aspect of people’s lives, including their travel practices, and as a result, the entire business travel sector went from the speed of jet travel to zero miles per hour,” said Hilfman. “We will continue to work with elected leaders and public health officials on policies that will help business travel rebound, kick-start the economy, and aid workers who depend on business travel to put food on their tables. We hope Congress listens to our requests; we very much need them to take action to prevent catastrophic results to this important worldwide industry.”
Visit gbta.org for more information.
[08.07.30]
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Travel and its verticals—including chauffeured ground transportation and tour/charter work—has been among the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, and a sector that will have a slower recovery. As Congress debates the next COVID-19 relief package, many bills have been proposed that would offer grants and loans to help those sectors as the world emerges from the global crisis.
Recognizing the importance of local tourism and its impact on a state and region’s economy, several senators introduced the Sustaining Tourism Enterprises During the COVID–19 Pandemic (STEP) Act, which would modify existing Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant programs to provide direct support to the hard-hit tourism and travel industry to promote a safe economic recovery and help increase public confidence. The bipartisan bill, S.4299, was sponsored by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and now has the support of Senators Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
As currently proposed, the bill would authorize $10 billion in grants to tourism and event entities impacted by the pandemic, which would include states, nonprofits, and private businesses. The bill would indirectly benefit the industry by helping the venues and organizations that many work with to provide transportation for conventions, trade shows, large-scale meetings, and other tourism-related activities. The full text of the bill is available here.
“Nevada’s world-class tourism economy—and the families it supports—have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Senator Cortez Masto on a press release on her website. “When hotels, restaurants, and event venues across the state welcome visitors, the public and employees alike need reassurance that travel and events are safe.”
“The travel and tourism industry is a critical part of our state’s economy and one that’s been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Senator Blunt. “This bill will help tourism-related businesses, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs they support, get back to full speed as quickly and safely as possible.”
The bill also has the support of the U.S. Travel Association, one of the largest organizations dedicated to promoting and protecting travel within the U.S.
“Getting the U.S. travel economy restarted is going to be particularly important, but it is also going to be particularly challenging,” said the association’s Executive VP for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes. “The only way travel jobs will be restored in a timely fashion is if businesses are able to survive until the point when travel is able to fully and safely resume and consumer demand picks up, and the STEP Act would be a major boon to those efforts.”
Advocacy has never been more important to our survival. With Congress stalled on critical legislation and much-needed aid, the association has created a toolkit to make it easy to reach out to your representatives and let your voice be heard. The toolkit is available here.
Other bills that are being considered currently are the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act—which has been proposed in both the House and Senate (H.R. 7642 and S.4150, respectively)—as well as the Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards a Recovery in 2020 (RESTART) Act (S.3814) and the Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act (S.4321).
[08.06.20]
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As Congress debates the next package—or packages—of stimulus and economic aid during the pandemic, the United Motorcoach Association (UMA) helped demystify some of the larger components that are being tossed around during its most recent Town Hall on July 30.
UMA's Legislative and Regulatory Committee Chair Alan Thrasher of Thrasher Brothers Trailways, joined by COO Ken Presley, broke down some of the major bills that the association is watching. Among them are the potential for a second draw on the popular (and actually helpful) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was part of the CARES Act back in late March and started in earnest in early April. The tentative renewal of the PPP has bipartisan support, and would cover additional operational expenses including vital virus cleaning products and personal protective equipment. While Congress deliberates on this second dip, PPP is quickly expiring as the deadline to apply is August 8.
Also in play are the Senate’s proposed Restart Act (S.3814), which would be similar to the PPP although larger in scale and could include other hard costs beyond payroll, as well as the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Act, individual bills introduced by both the House and Senate that would offer grants and loans specifically to the transportation industry. Trasher said that the House bill is making some progress.
Thrasher and Presley encouraged operators and industry friends to keep up the efforts to contact Congressional representatives, noting that their efforts ARE making a difference. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in fact spoke recently about the plight and the importance of the motorcoach industry on the Senate floor. That video can be viewed here.
Beyond legislative news, the call also featured a panel of operators who discussed the ways that they're leading their companies during the pandemic, from keeping their team informed and connected through texting apps and social media and engaging customers with updates and useful information. The panel included Cary Martin of Little Rock Tours & Travel, Bethany Schubert of Trobec's Bus Service, and Dennis Streif of Vandalia Bus Lines.
The next UMA Town Hall is scheduled for August 6. Preregistration is required here.
Visit uma.org for more information.
[08.04.20]