Photo by Anthony Smith, courtesy of Bike Magazine
East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio
The East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio was developed in response to the destination’s desire to strengthen existing bicycle tourism, culinary and cultural amenities.
In 2016, the Studio focused on helping the towns of Cottage Grove, Coburg, McKenzie Bridge, Oakridge, Veneta and Junction City transform into a premier bicycling destination by enhancing existing assets and increasing the connectivity between its communities.
East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Strategy Report
East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio Key Outcomes:
- 78 local tourism stakeholders and residents participated in four workshops between October 2016 and April 2017. Workshop topics included identifying market trends, opportunities and gaps, mountain bike strategy development, gravel and road riding development and action planning. Workshop notes, presentations, outreach materials and other resources can be viewed on the East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio Resources page.
- Travel Oregon published the East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Strategy report in April 2017.
- The East Lane County community partnered with Travel Oregon to publish the Magical Moments in the Cascades trip idea in November 2017 on traveloregon.com to highlight the local assets and opportunities that were discussed during the workshops.
- The East Lane County community received an $8,000 Tourism Studio Matching Grant to develop a map of local cycling opportunities in the region using the Bicycle Ambassador Program in March 2018.
- The community also secured Travel Oregon funding to support bike route development through the newly established Connect Lane Consortium, an outgrowth of the Bicycle Tourism Studio. This project focused on the need for better connection between communities in Lane County for bicycles off State Highways. The first phase of this project involved designating an ideal route between communities, building relationships between jurisdictions to utilize the existing infrastructure network, and identifying ways it could be tied together as a system.
For more information about the East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio, contact Natalie Inouye at Travel Lane County.
Tourism Experience Studios
Workshops that help communities determine how to develop and market specific tourism projects
Travel Oregon offers Experience Studios focused on bicycle tourism, culinary and agritourism, outdoor recreation, river recreation and cultural heritage.