ATLANTA, Ga., Mar. 12 – AAHOA President & CEO Cecil P. Staton issued the following statement about President Donald Trump’s announcement regarding steps the administration planned to take to combat COVID-19 and address the economic fallout from the pandemic:
“The aggressive steps to protect the public from COVID-19 announced by the President will have a significant economic impact on hotel owners and the hospitality industry. We will continue to work with our industry and brand partners to urge President Trump and Speaker Pelosi to take action to protect American workers and small business owners from the economic fallout of this crisis. It was encouraging to hear that the Small Business Administration has more authority to provide capital and liquidity to businesses affected by COVID-19, and the three-month tax holiday for small and mid-sized businesses could be helpful. We are watching the implementation of these moves closely.
“As an industry whose livelihood depends on travel and tourism, we are concerned with the long-term effects on the ability of Americans and international visitors to travel to and from the United States. European and Asian travelers are critical to our businesses. We look forward to working with our partners in government as we seek commonsense remedies to the public health and economic crisis we face.”
