Alleghenies DMO Leaders Urge Congress to Extend Paycheck Protection Program for Vital Economic Recovery

Leaders from four tourism promotion agencies in the Alleghenies Region have called on Congress to extend Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility to destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and chambers of commerce.

Fritz Smith, President and CEO of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau; Mark Ickes, Executive Director of Explore Altoona; Matt Price, Executive Director of the Raystown Lake Region; and Lisa Rager, Executive Director of Visit Johnstown, emphasize that PPP access is essential for DMOs to fulfill their critical role in supporting the long-term economic health of the communities they serve. Their stance aligns with a nationwide movement among travel industry experts advocating for these key organizations in driving post-pandemic recovery.

Currently, 501(c)(6) entities like DMOs and chambers of commerce are excluded from the PPP, though bipartisan support is building in Congress. Proposals such as the recently introduced U.S. Senate bill (S. 3992) are under consideration amid ongoing COVID-19 relief discussions.

“Organizations like ours play a vital role in driving customers—visitors and locals alike—to businesses hit hard by COVID-19,” said Smith. “However, furloughs and layoffs have ravaged the DMO and chamber sectors as travel revenues evaporated overnight.”

These tourism leaders invest significant resources in targeted marketing campaigns to safely encourage visitation. Without support, they cannot lead recovery efforts for businesses reliant on tourism, which generated over $44 billion in Pennsylvania in 2018.

“As businesses reopen, DMOs must lead the charge in destination recovery,” noted Rager, who testified before the Pennsylvania House Tourism Committee on June 3. “Yet without aid, we're struggling to survive when we should be supporting others. Our organizations will be among the last to recover, with travel rebounding potentially not until spring 2021 and hotel occupancy—our main funding source—not until 2023.”

Price highlighted the broader impact: “In Pennsylvania, nearly 500,000 hospitality jobs were lost to COVID-19. A robust tourism sector is key to restoring and growing these positions.”

Pre-COVID, visitation trends in their destinations were strongly positive. “PPP eligibility could enable Explore Altoona and other DMOs to restore full staffs and sustain effective marketing that delivers results for communities,” said Ickes.

Smith, Rager, Price, and Ickes recognize the challenges lawmakers face but stress that DMO and chamber relief is crucial to accelerating economic recovery.