“Recovery Cannot Wait.” More Than 100 U.S. Destinations and Small Businesses Urge Immediate Congressional Action on Disaster Relief

More than 100 destination leaders and small business operators across seven states affected by recent disasters banded together in a letter to Congressional leadership, urging lawmakers to pass immediate disaster relief.

In a show of wide support for the request, 19 state tourism directors representing states spanning the U.S. from Georgia to Washington state, convening on Wednesday and Thursday in hard-hit Asheville, NC, are set to discuss the importance of rushing federal aid to devastated communities to assist in infrastructure rebuilding and economic recovery.

"Too many destinations in too many states are currently waiting on Congress to provide desperately needed relief from disasters that took place months ago," said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. "The holiday season is peak travel season and Main Street businesses are suffering. The time for Congress to act is now."

The letter to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate appeals for Congress to provide emergency supplemental funding for:

• Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) program, and
• Economic Adjustment Assistance program, ensuring the hardest hit communities where travel has dropped to record lows in the aftermath of storms receives the support they need.

To illustrate the depth of need, in just one recent example since the end of September, North Carolina's Mountain region-home to 47,000 travel industry workers-stands to lose $2.1 billion in visitor spending this fall alone. The damage caused by Hurricane Helene is estimated to total up to $53 billion dollars, with continued impacts on local economies.

The letter states: "Our communities have been strong in the face of widespread devastation, but we cannot continue for long without federal support. We ask Congress to pass disaster relief legislation urgently to help our communities recover and avoid further economic damage."

Click here to read the letter in full to Congressional leaders.

U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing the $1.3 trillion travel industry, an essential contributor to our nation's economy and success. U.S. Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for more information.