ASTA Continues Push for Small Business Relief Ahead of Holidays

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is continuing to push Congress to provide relief for its members, most of which are small businesses, ahead of the holiday season.

In a letter to House and Senate leadership, ASTA asked Congress to continue to work to protect “the economic health and wellbeing of America’s small businesses,” especially those most affected by the pandemic.

“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 in-person gatherings to survive, including the restaurant, hospitality, fitness, live events, and travel industries,” the letter says.

“Especially as we head into the winter months, tens of thousands of small businesses across the country are faced with the possibility of layoffs, reduced service or hours, or outright closure, barring additional relief.”

ASTA applauded Congress for previous moves including passing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program. However, while those programs helped many small businesses get through the last 20 months, not all small businesses were able to access these programs.

A number of House and Senate members, including Dean Phillips, Earl Blumenauer, Brian Fitzpatrick, and more, undersigned the letter.

“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 for ASTA said.

“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.”

ASTA is also continuing to urge its members to reach out to their own representatives to pressure them individually to support small businesses. Advisors can do so by heading to the ASTA Advocacy homepage here.