Small businesses are facing ‘summer of uncertainty’

Small businesses that depend on outdoor crowds and free-spending tourists aren’t sure what to expect this summer. The U.S. Travel Association expects money spent on travel excluding business travel to total $726 billion in 2022. Gas prices are up more than 60% from a year ago and hotel rooms and airfare are pricier as well. A labor crunch is putting pressure on many small businesses this summer, too. Hiring more teens is a national trend, according to data from Gusto, a payroll, benefits, human resources provider, up 9% in April 2022, up from 7777 in April 2019 and 2% in 2021, data shows. At Mansion House Inn on Martha’s Vineyard, rooms are booking at pre-pandemic prices, . . .