Proposed New “Explore America” Tax Credit Would Grant Up To $4,000 Per Household For Travel To Hotels, Theme Parks, and More

Jessica Figueroa

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Proposed New “Explore America” Tax Credit Would Grant Up To $4,000 Per Household For Travel To Hotels, Theme Parks, and More

If you’re yearning to plan a trip this year, but find that finances are tight after the pandemic, the U.S. tourism industry may just come to the rescue. Industry lobbyists in hotel, theme park, and other tourism sectors are lobbying for a plan that would provide travelers with $4,000 in tax breaks for their upcoming vacations.

free walt disney world photopass wallpaper cinderella castle magic kingdom

According to Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel, the plan already has received strong support from President Donald Trump. These subsidies would benefit hotel, theme park, and tourist companies, boosting revenue at a time when people are either wary of travel or see the new restrictions and guidelines as cumbersome.

Tori Emerson Barnes, a lobbyist for the U.S. Travel Association, whose members include the Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp.’s Universal Parks & Resorts, spoke to the Sentinel on the current state of the travel industry:

“Right now, our businesses need relief. But ultimately, we’ll need recovery.”

With increased travel to theme parks, worker’s unions are also fighting to preserve the safety of front-line employees, with new conditions that include better job security, wages, and paid sick time, according to Wendi Walsh of UNITE HERE, which represents thousands of Cast Members at Walt Disney World.

“We really need to move from incentives to requirements to get these companies to do the right things.”

Wendi Walsh, UNITE HERE

Orlando was one of the hardest-hit cities in Florida with the shutdown of the theme parks due to COVID-19. The unemployment rate in metro Orlando was 16.2% in April, with a number of theme park employees struggling with the overburdened unemployment benefits system.

As for the “Explore America” tax credit, lobbyists are still working alongside Congress officials and the Trump administration on the details of the plan, possibly capping the credit at $4,000 per household for travel expenses through the end of 2021.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

20 thoughts on “Proposed New “Explore America” Tax Credit Would Grant Up To $4,000 Per Household For Travel To Hotels, Theme Parks, and More”

  1. Sounds like a great concept to me. We have cancelled most of our 2021 trips to mid west and are still holding out to visits to Florida, Georgia, Virginia and upper New York. Cutting back yes but maybe not totally cancelling all.

  2. This would be awesome. So many families would love to go on a vacation but can’t afford one due to job loss… financial hardships etc.

  3. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just give everybody a $4,000 tax credit and we can use it on whatever they need like food and housing maybe vacation if they have the time.

    • But then you wouldn’t spend it at hotels and resorts and places where the owners really need the money. Maybe they’ll even buy masks for their employees or provide sick time… But only if everyone spends all this taxpayer money at their private businesses.

    • But then how would the lobbyists from Disney ensure that Americans now spend billions of dollars at Disneyland??

    • Josh the whole idea is to stimulate the hard-hit tourism industry, At the same time, it would help those Americans financially who travel. There were other financial stimulus packages for other people and industries hit hard.

  4. So I understand…were going to incentivise upper middle class people who have jobs and expendable cash to take a vacation. This is going to increase tourism to resort and vacation destinations who are decreasing the number of people able to even patronize their establishments. And the CEOs and chairpeople get richer while their workers continue to live off low wages and limited hours. Yeah, sounds like a great plan.

  5. And if you take the standard deduction that about 90% of Americans took in 2019 you will NOT get back that money!!!!

  6. We all need a nice vacation after all the stress and worry from Covid, jobs, health and family. And nothing better than the magical experience of Disney. But probably too good to be true.

  7. This will be a blessing. This incentive to enjoy a small vacay after months of hibernation at home. I want get away and enjoy at this point Florida Caribbean as well

  8. That would be a blessing. After the past 8 months me and kids had we could use a vacation.

  9. once the mask requirements, 14-day quarantine restrictions, etc are left. Maybe. Right now things aren’t open, the experiences are limited and restricted.

  10. You know… If they just passed UBI… Then in addition to being able to actually pay their bills and such, people would be able to spend extras they don’t normally have on frivolous things… Like vacations….

    Life isn’t a competition. You can’t win at it. So refusing to help people because “it’s not fair” when in reality it benefits the 8ndividials and society as a whole…is absurd.

  11. Not going to happen in a million years. And that’s a good thing. And, for the record, the unemployment system in Florida was intentionally crippled specifically to make it harder for unemployed people to collect. It is functioning exactly as the republicans intended. (Shame on them for that, but that the way it is and why.)

  12. It’s not the money that is going to keep me away. It’s the stupid masks and other rediculous measures in place for this socialist America. Go back to the old normal and forget about this overblown covid hoax and people will come.

  13. I hope it includes different types of lodging besides hotels. My husband and I plan on renting for 3 months at a time to experience different parts of the country. What about Air BandB?

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