U.S. business travelers are tamping down their travel plans amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Sixty-seven percent of the 414 business travelers who responded to the survey reported that they would probably take fewer trips, the association said Tuesday in a press release. Fifty-two percent said they would likely cancel existing travel plans. Sixty-six percent said they intended to travel only to places within driving distance.

The survey of 2,200 adults—of whom roughly 18% were business travelers—was conducted Aug. 11-12.

Because of decreased travel, hotels expect to end the year down nearly 500,000 jobs compared to 2019, AHLA said. Hotels are the only segment of the hospitality and leisure industry that has not received direct federal aid, according to the association.

"Hotels were already on pace to lose more business travel revenue this year than we did in 2020. And now rising COVID-19 cases threaten to further reduce the main source of revenue for our industry," AHLA CEO Chip Rogers said in the statement.

"Hotel employees and small business owners across the nation have been pleading for direct pandemic relief for over a year now. These results show why now is the time for Congress to listen to those calls and pass the Save Hotel Jobs Act," Rogers continued.

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