The U.S. Travel Association is calling on the Senate to pass a newly-introduced COVID-19 relief bill including the enhancement and expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program, which would provide critical aid to destination marketing organizations.

Citing research from Tourism Economics , U.S. Travel notes that the American economy has lost as much as $360 billion—or $2 billion per day—since March as a result of the decreased travel demand due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to U.S. Travel, the impact has cut the the number of all travel-supported U.S. jobs—which accounted for one in 10 Americans prior to COVID-19—in half between the start of the pandemic and May 1.

“It’s clear that travel jobs—which were by far the hardest-hit of any sector—won’t recover on their own,” U.S. Travel Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Barnes said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The ‘skinny’ relief bill moving through the Senate has good components, and we’re urging Congress to recognize that substantial and immediate aid for travel employers is really vital for the entire U.S. job market. Many travel employers were left out of earlier rounds of legislative relief, and Congress must work quickly to ensure these businesses can continue to operate and help power an economic recovery in every corner of America.”

U.S. Travel, which launched a Travel Confidently Toolkit in August followed by a new "Let's Go There" campaign this month, has been leading the way in terms of pushing for congressional action to aid the industry all summer.