New York governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a comprehensive $450 million “Bring Back Tourism, Bring Back Jobs” inclusive recovery package, coinciding with the reopening of international borders, to support New York State’s hardest-hit tourism sector workers, revitalize the state’s tourism industry and support businesses started just prior to or during the pandemic.
Governor Hochul made the announcement at the Museum of Natural History, joined by representatives from I LOVE NY, NY Forever, tourism and business groups, as well as labor groups representing workers in the tourism industry. This package of programs represents a multi-faceted approach to “revitalizing the industry through assistance for workers, investments in small businesses, and consumer-focused marketing around the nation and the world.”
The economic impact of COVID-19 on New York State's tourism economy has been severe; in 2019, this industry supported one out of 10 jobs and generated more than $100 billion in economic impact. Last year, international visitation was down 86 percent from 2019, and domestic visitation fell by 37 percent, generating a nearly 55 percent loss in direct spending and an almost 50 percent drop in economic impact.
In response, Governor Hochul announced a comprehensive strategy to support unemployed workers and struggling businesses in the critically important tourism and hospitality sector, which was New York’s third-largest industry prior to the pandemic; to incentivize the rehiring of these critical workers; and to jumpstart demand for the state's tourism and hospitality attractions.
The first part of this package supports New Yorkers in the most impacted tourism and hospitality industry sectors who were on extended federal unemployment insurance the last week before those benefits ended and have yet to see their earnings fully recover. The New York State Department of Labor will issue one-time payments of $2,750 to as many as 36,000 qualified workers in tourism sector industries. New Yorkers who are eligible will be contacted directly via text or email.
The second piece of this package is designed to encourage tourism businesses that suffered job and revenue losses to rehire workers, while providing financial relief. Qualifying tourism businesses will be eligible for grants of up to $5,000 per net new full-time employee, or $2,500 per net new part-time employee, hired to offset their labor costs. To receive full benefit, employers will have to maintain employment increases over six months. Employment increases will be based on total employment rather than specific individual employees, and businesses that can demonstrate the greatest workforce losses resulting from COVID-19 will be a priority.
A $25 million “Meet in New York Grant” program focuses on venues and events to generate and support new business-focused travel. This holistic approach to visitation recognizes the spending habits of business and convention travelers for overnight stays, food and activities. “The Meet in New York” program will provide grants to help convention centers and conference spaces bring more events, traveler spending and jobs back to New York State. Qualifying venues and their partnering event hotels can offer meeting organizers discounts on booking fees or room blocks to entice business, with grants reimbursing a portion of such discounts.
Another $25 million “I LOVE NY Global Marketing Campaign” is a consumer-facing global tourism promotion campaign, which extends a new invitation to domestic and international visitors, allowing I LOVE NY to expand its current marketing efforts into additional domestic and international markets. The campaign will include broadcast and digital elements that promote New York State as the world's premier travel destination, where visitors are encouraged to come be a part of it and find what they love.
To further New York State’s commitment to small businesses, Governor Hochul announced plans to introduce legislation in January 2022 at the start of New York State's legislative session to create a $200 million program designed to support businesses started just prior to or during the pandemic. This forward-looking initiative would utilize existing funding in the state’s $800 million COVID-19 “Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program” to support younger businesses that were otherwise ineligible for relief through existing state and federal programs to ensure greater inclusivity among small and micro-businesses.
The “Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program” has awarded over $325 million so far to support nearly 20,000 small and micro-businesses across New York State. More than 19,000 awardees were businesses with 10 or fewer employees, 83 of grantees were minority and women-owned business enterprises, and the average grant funded has been nearly $17,000. This legislation will represent an expansion of the program to include small and micro-businesses that were previously ineligible for pandemic relief through the state and federal programs.
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