COVID-19’s viral spread beginning in early 2020 set back every economy on the face of the planet. Its downward effect on wages, employment, output, and other positive economic indicators devastated workers’ incomes (and job status), industries’ profits, and governments’ treasuries. 

The United States federal government’s massive fiscal response to the pandemic mitigated some of these negative externalities over the course of one year, but the sustained impacts of the pandemic-induced recession continue to endure: unemployment is still almost double what it was in early 2020, many families lost loved ones to the virus, many businesses (particularly small businesses) went out of business, and many industries are still struggling to get back on their feet. In Arizona, tourism, entertainment, retail, and nonfarm jobs . 

Arizona economist Jim Rounds has argued that the best economic stimulus is widespread vaccination against COVID-19. Indeed, since the approval of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the economy has seen growth. Nonetheless, less than half of Arizonans have received one shot, let alone two (Johnson & Johnson only requires one shot, whereas Pfizer and Moderna require two). 

Figure 1 

: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – COVID-19 TRACKING ECONOMIC IMPACTS 

Policies aimed at expanding vaccinations and easing the public’s willingness to frequent businesses could accelerate the state’s post-COVID economic recovery. As the economic engine revs up, the maintenance of public health will be critical to the expansion of private-public sector collaboration, wage growth, trade, immigration, and economic clusters. The easiest path to securing all of these aims is to prioritize vaccine distribution. 

Beyond these proposals, larger obstacles face the international, American, and Arizonan economies. While the United States is expected to reach “herd immunity” within months, Europe will not reach this state until late 2021, and many other nations and regions still have no timeline for this milestone. Accelerating the international distribution of vaccinations could promote the health and wellbeing of the domestic economy, particularly considering Arizona and the United States’ . 

Further, inflationary pressures could threaten markets and consumer prices. Already, the United States has reported a 13-year peak in inflation in April of 2021, with the “rate of inflation [] to 4.2% from 2.6% in the prior month.” This inflation is largely expected, particularly considering the passage of several federal stimulus packages, but it could diminish the value of wage gains. 

The following policies might be pursued by Arizona leaders to ease Arizona’s post-COVID economic recovery: 

• Collaborating with the federal government and foreign governments to distribute excess vaccines to nations with lower vaccination rates (Mexico in particular, considering their proximity). 

• Urging the federal government to maintain manageable levels of inflation, so that wage gains are not eaten up by rising prices. 
• Provide incentives for vaccinations by partnering with Arizona businesses, cities, and counties (incentives could range from free food and beverages to coupons to favorite restaurants and bars). 

As Arizonans look forward to a post-COVID economy, the fundamentals of the state’s exploding growth should not be neglected. Vibrant public-private partnerships, a foundationally pro-growth regulatory agenda, expanded trade relations with inter- and intra-national neighbors, and an embrace of smart immigration policies could provide a formula for continued economic success.

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The hotel industry suffered some of the most blistering financial setbacks during the pandemic and is facing a longer recovery than most other sectors. But when it comes to the latest federal relief package, they’re feeling left out, industry leaders said last week at a forum hosted by the (AZTLA). 

While restaurants and the airlines received designated relief in the legislation, the hotel industry barely received a mention. The oversight is likely due to misconceptions about the industry, they said. 

“Because there are big names on top of these hotels like a Best Western or a Marriott, people think they are global operations that own and operate all these hotels and that they’re public and they really haven’t been hurt by all this. But the reality is that the industry is made up of small business owners very similar to the restaurant industry,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, who spoke at the forum. 

The event, entitled, Road to Recovery for the Hospitality Industry, is the first in a new series called Tourism Talks in 2021 to update members, elected officials and community members on issues important to the industry. More than 200 people including elected officials tuned in.

Travis Cutler, director of state government affairs for Marriott International and David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, were also featured speakers. hosted the forum. Kim Sabow, president and CEO of AZTLA, moderated. 

The speakers said state and national lawmakers need to be set straight about the devastation to hotels that employ workers in almost every community in America. 

Kong said that it’s been distressing to see the “tremendous pain and suffering” hotel and franchise owners and their families have experienced over the past year.

“I just wish government officials and Congress, in particular, would realize we are Main Street, not Wall Street,” Kong said.   

Recovery for industry to take three or more years 

While hotel operators are starting to “see the light at the end of the tunnel,” it is projected to take until 2024 or 2025 for the industry to fully recover, Sabow said.  

“Twenty-twenty was the worst year on record for the hotel industry. Covid-19 wiped out 10 years of job growth. It has hurt our communities and decimented our workforce,” she said. “With record low occupancy, the industry surpassed one billion unsold room nights for the first time in history.”

Leisure travel has helped keep the lights on for some, but business travel, which accounts for 60 to 65 percent of all revenues for the industry, is nowhere near recovering. It’s down 85 percent from where it was two years ago, she said. 

Arizona lost $12 billion in direct visitor spending 

In Arizona, where tourism is a key industry, the losses have been “staggering,” Sabow said. 

Tourism was the number one export industry in Arizona before the pandemic. In 2019, 46.8 million people visited Arizona, collectively spending $25.6 billion in the state, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism. 

Over the past year, direct visitor spending dropped $12 billion, Sabow said. During the height of the pandemic, the hospitality sector lost nearly 50 percent of jobs. Hotel revenue losses amounted to $1.3 billion. State and local governments missed out on $300 million in tax revenue. 

Call to national, state elected leaders 

Sabow and the other speakers encouraged attendees to contact their state and national representatives, to remind them that the industry is made up largely of small businesses.  

They are recommending that hotels receive 25 percent of the $350 billion the recent federal stimulus package, the, that is being allocated to U.S. territories, states, and local and tribal governments.

Currently, the rescue plan mentions tourism and travel but it does not mention hotels specifically, said Cutler of Marriott. 

“It’s important we are vocal about the fact that that’s in there and making sure that (elected leaders) know it’s in there,” Cutler said. 

He recommends that hospitality advocacy groups follow the lead of a few other states like Maryland and put together “turnkey relief templates” for states that lay out criteria for grant eligibility and other procedures for the hotel industry. 

“We really need to be proactive in offering relief concepts and ideas that are packaged and ready to go for these state lawmakers and decision makers as they are evaluating what to do with what they’re allocated,” Cutler said.

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By all accounts, Arizona has had a rough time through the COVID-19 pandemic. A staggering loss of more than 15,000 Arizonans, punctuated by devastating economic and mental health impacts, left our state reeling.

Vaccinations mean that hope is here, and Arizona’s recovery has been jump started with one of the highest-volume, 24/7 vaccination sites in the country at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. With more than 8,000 vaccines administered every day…about one every 10 seconds…Arizonans have come together in a colossal act of love.

This is exactly why, when state leaders called on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona to get involved in early January, we said “yes.” In less than two weeks, we mobilized our team to join the single largest and most important public health effort our nation has seen during the pandemic. We mobilized to assist. We mobilized to serve. And most importantly, we mobilized to deliver hope.

We anticipated the huge effort and are humbled to be part of this highly effective public-private partnership. What we did not anticipate was how much we would be touched by witnessing the absolute best of humanity in action. Thousands of individuals, most of whom are volunteers, have worked around the clock to help administer a dose of hope to more than 300,000 Arizonans in less than six weeks.

Working nine-hour shifts, some overnight, on their feet in the rain, sun, cold, and even desert hailstorms, these volunteers tell us how honored they are to serve in a role that has so much purpose. They experience words of thanks and tears of joy and relief every day, along with being witnesses to a monumental time in our country’s history.

President Biden and Vice President Harris recently took a virtual tour of the vaccination operations at State Farm Stadium. Calling the 24/7 vaccination operation “amazing,” President Biden and Vice President Harris pointed to the teamwork as an example of unity, saying, “We have never failed as a country when we’ve done things together.” Administering more than 20% of all COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona, the impressive vaccination results at State Farm Stadium to-date would not have been possible without a tireless team.

Together with federal partners, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard, along with state leadership from the Governor’s Office, the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, and the Arizona Department of Health Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona employees and their families and friends have volunteered to help make this a national model of an efficient and streamlined vaccination clinic. We joined hospitals, the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State University, Walgreens, the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, the City of Glendale, and more with the shared goal of working together to win the COVID battle.

A true testament to the grit and resilience of our community, Arizona has managed to move from a time of hopelessness and uncertainty to becoming a role model of strength and unity. While we need to stay vigilant and still have a long road ahead, standing shoulder to shoulder against an enemy we cannot even see will lead us to victory. This is genuine, authentic love in action, and it changes us all for the better.

Pam Kehaly is President and CEO at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

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A new women’s business center in Phoenix is offering a range of services to help entrepreneurs grow and expand during the pandemic. 

The new in Phoenix offers services to anyone who wants to start or grow a business, even those who are just thinking about it. They offer a variety of services including training, technical assistance and access to low interest loans. 

It is one of 20 new women’s centers across the U.S just launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In addition, the SBA  launched a new free e-learning platform, , for anyone to use to help advance their company’s profitability. 

Most are located in underserved and rural neighborhoods, and they have resources to assist business owners to remain resilient during the pandemic, including Latina and Black business owners who have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 shutdowns and disruptions.  

New Women’s Business Center hosted by Prestamos 

The new Phoenix WBC in Phoenix is being hosted by Prestamos, a division of the nonprofit CPLC. Prestamos provides a variety of lending programs to help grow small businesses and “impactful” economic development projects. 

“This pandemic has disproportionately impacted women through workforce reductions and caregiving responsibilities, and I am thrilled to partner with the SBA to support and empower those women looking for a new path through entrepreneurship,” said Amber Cordoba, director of Business Education and Consulting Services for Prestamos.

Mentoring, training, low interest loans, and much more 

Arizona now has two WBCs including the in Tucson. The two Arizona centers are part of a national network of 136 WBCs that offer:

• Individualized coaching
• Workshops
• Microlending
• Networking
• Technical assistance
• Resources

Entrepreneurs who work with coaches can receive help with:

• Financial management
• Operations
• Accounting
• Marketing
• Human resources
• Website and digital strategies

Free e-learning platform for women entrepreneurs

The SBA also launched , a first-of-its-kind free digital platform geared to help women entrepreneurs grow and expand. Ascent has content such as tips on preparing and recovering from disasters, strategic marketing and business financial strategy development. 

The online platform is a joint initiative between the White House, the SBA, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Designed to support women entrepreneurs looking to remain resilient in their operations, Ascent is packed with content and resources from each agency and backed by academic research. 

Largest expansion of women’s services in 30 years

The launch of Ascent and the opening of 20 new business centers this year is the SBA’s of resources specifically tailored for women in more than 30 years.

Women business owners represent an important sector in the nation’s economic framework, according to the SBA. Today, women entrepreneurs own or co-own nearly 13 million businesses, close to half of all companies in the nation. They employ 9.4 million workers, generate $1.9 trillion in revenue and represent all industries. 

For more information about the Phoenix center, go to:

For more information about the Tucson center, go to:

To learn more about SBA’s programs and services for women entrepreneurs, visit online at , and to find other WBC locations and SBA resources, visit . 

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