by Kyle Hooten
Most of Minnesota’s hospitality businesses may be forced to close permanently as a result of Governor Tim Walz’s economic shutdown orders, warns Hospitality Minnesota.
Hospitality Minnesota is an association for lodging, restaurant, resorts and campgrounds, per the organization’s website. This group, along with the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, the Community of Minnesota Resorts and the Craft Brewers Guild say that existing releif packages aren’t doing enough to keep hospitality based businesses afloat in the state. As a result, over half of these businesses may be forced out of business forever if things don’t change soon, per a local CBS affiliate.
Hospitality Minnesota feels confident in this prediction after taking a survey of businesses in the state.
If this grim forecast comes to fruition, over 145,500 jobs could be destroyed, according to numbers reported by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. This would place increased strain on Minnesota’s already struggling unemployment systems that can barely support the 605,000 workers already left jobless amidst Walz’s shutdowns.
To reverse the damage to their industry, Hospitality Minnesota wants the state to create a $120 million loan program for their industry, among other things, per US News.
“Hospitality businesses and jobs are teetering on an economic cliff. As one of the strongest drivers of Minnesota’s economy, we need to collectively step up now to save them. This will help turn the state’s budget and economy around more quickly by generating revenue,” remarks Liz Rammer the President and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota.
Rammer’s statement may be a reference to the fact that over the last few weeks, Minnesota’s $1.5 billion budget surplus has transformed into a $2.4 billion deficit as revenue drops as a result of a stagnant economy.
Hospitality accounts for nearly 10% of the economy in the Twin Cities and over 8% in Greater Minnesota, according to the University of Minnesota.
