US nonfarm payroll employment fell by 710,000 in March - much worse than markets expected - and the unemployment rate rose by 0.9% to 4.4% - the largest monthly increase since 1975 - reflecting the effects of COVID-19 and establishment closures intended to limit its spread.

Biggest losses were in leisure and hospitality (primarily food service and drinking places), health care and social assistance, professional and business services, and construction.

Federal government employment rose by 18,000 reflecting the hiring of temporary workers for the 2020 census.

Average workweek fell by 0.2 hour overall, by 1.4 hours in leisure and hospitality.

BLS notes:

"If the workers who were recorded as employed but absent from work due to “other reasons” (over and above the number absent for other reasons in a typical March) had been classified as unemployed on temporary layoff, the overall unemployment rate would have been almost 1 percentage point higher than reported."

People suddenly without jobs or working shorter hours aren't going to be planning vacations anytime soon. Everybody in tourism - inside and outside the US - will need to do some belt-tightening this year.