New Mexico governor proposes $25M stimulus for tourism

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has proposed a $25 million stimulus package for the state’s tourism industry. The proposal on Monday comes after the most recent employment report said the state’s leisure and hospitality industry has lost 24,500 jobs this year, about a 24.5% decrease from a year ago. The governor’s office says the pandemic has cost the industry $4.3 billion this year. The U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics estimates that without substantial funding, it may take up to seven years for the industry to return to the levels of spending it experienced before the coronavirus.