2024-09-19 10:44:18
At the session of August 13, 2020, the RA government adopted the 23rd measure of pandemic neutralization, which refers to the tourism sector that is most affected by the consequences of the pandemic. According to the adopted measure, the state made a decision to subsidize the companies of the affected sector in the amount of 1/3 or 1/4 of the salary fund of the employees, depending on the number of saved jobs, it is said in the text of the statement distributed by the Association of Hotels of Armenia.
“Almost all businessmen of the sector became beneficiaries of the project: hotels, travel agencies, restaurants.
Since the first day of the quarantine imposed due to the coronavirus, the Armenian Hotel Association has raised the problems of the sector, which the businessmen will face if the state does not take proportionate and timely steps, including the inability to pay wages in the conditions of zero income levels that have lasted for so long.
That is why the Association definitely welcomes the adoption of this program by the RA government, taking into account the application of one of the most important points of the solution proposed by the Association for 6 months, the fact that the program is long-term.
The association has repeatedly expressed the opinion that support to the sector should be given the fact that the sector will continue to suffer losses and based on the opinion of experts, businessmen will be able to achieve cost coverage only from April 2021, taking into account the seasonality of the tourism sector. Therefore, it was very important that the program was not one-time, but continuous, which was approved according to the adopted measure, setting the payment of state support until April 2021.
At the same time, we would like to emphasize that the beneficiary sectors of the measure were disproportionately affected. hotel economies suffered the most losses. In the case of zero profitability, the latter have retained many workers, who, however, will continue to be under the risk of layoffs, taking into account the fact that currently the financial resources of the hospice farms are exhausted, and they have no other possibility to pay wages.
On the other hand, the presence of an unfavorable epidemic situation, as well as the extension of the state of emergency, despite the easing of restrictions on the entry of foreigners, will continue to negatively affect the sector: the flow of inbound tourism will continue to tend to zero, and during the so-called low season (starting from October 15) for the hotel sector the traditional loss period will bring even greater losses.
Therefore, the Association, as in all the meetings with the relevant bodies, insists now that the subsidy of hotel farms should be set at least half of the salary fund, considering that the subsidy of one third of the salary (at most) will be sufficient only to pay the tax obligations. The current wording of the measure will not help hotels avoid further job cuts and will not stop the wage bill from falling.
The association is in favor of any positive solutions given by the RA government, but insists that this measure will not provide a solution to the problem in the hotel industry until the amount of the subsidy is at least half of the salary fund,” the statement said.