National Travel & Tourism Week

What you do each and every day matters. Travel not only impacts local economies in positive ways, but also the quality of our lives and the lives of others.

In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), May 5-11, we want to amplify our message that the travel and tourism industry makes a powerful difference for our economy, our communities and our well-being. And many of you have asked to be better equipped to accomplish exactly this.

So, we went to work creating and compiling tools to help you tap into national and statewide messaging and aid in the facilitation of compelling conversations with policy makers, local media and residents. The information contained in this toolkit is designed to help you spread the word that what we do matters and makes a difference in the lives of Oregonians. We not only create lasting memories, but we create jobs and economic impact in every corner of the state.

Here are some ways you can use the assets in this toolkit to initiate and strengthen the discussions taking place around the positive effect of travel during NTTW:

• Customize this sample press release and submit it to your local paper
• Reference these talking points and statistics when discussing why “Travel Matters”
• Use the “Travel Matters” social media calendar and use #TravelMatters and #NTTW19
• Use this tweet sheet for Twitter images and copy
• Use these talking points when talking to media about why “Travel Matters”

Additionally, here are some suggested ways you can harness the power of travel for your business or destination by leveraging state and national sales, marketing and development programs:

• Be inspired by the regions who have participated in a Rural Tourism Studio and are now “Communities Powered by Travel”
• Connect your business or destination directly to Travel Oregon’s biggest campaign to date – ‘ Oregon, Only Slightly Exaggerated‘  and utilize the ‘Oregon, Only Slightly Exaggerated’ Campaign Toolkit for marketing assets to promote travel to your region. The more we all align our marketing messages and speak with one voice, the easier it will be to break through to potential visitors as they select their next vacation destination
• Make sure your tourism business and/or event has taken advantage of its free listing on TravelOregon.com
• Sign up to receive the monthly Travel Oregon Industry Newsletter or one of the destination development program-specific updates
• Expand your sales reach by working with the international and domestic travel trade and leveraging their expertise in packaging your business and destination for visitors to purchase
• Partner with Brand USA to attract international visitors to Oregon
• Display your brochures or visitor guides at one of the eight Oregon Welcome Centers located at high-traffic gateways to the state
• Have a positive effect on Oregon’s environment, your community and your bottom line by participating in a Travel Oregon Forever program
• Become a Bike-Friendly Business and attract the lucrative cycle tourism market
• Plug into the Electric Vehicle market by advocating for a fast-charging station in your town to ensure you are part of Oregon’s “Electric Byway”

Finally, the 2017 Economic Impact of Travel in Oregon report (Runyan) found that visitors generated $11.8 billion in economic impact to the state and directly support more than 112,200 jobs for Oregonians. Our interactive database allows you to get more detailed information for your region. This is excellent information for you to show how travel and tourism directly affects your community.

Travel Oregon is honored to work with each and every one of you and look forward to spreading the message that what we all do together every day makes a difference in the state’s economy and lives of Oregonians. Please let this toolkit be one more way we can all speak, confidently and with one voice, that travel and tourism matter to Oregon.