The goal when the TravelAbility Summit was first developed was to educate travel organizations about the emerging market of baby boomers–40 percent of whom, according to Health Today, self-identify as having a disability after they turn 65. In order to broaden the potential audience, the summit has expanded to embrace Sustainability and DE&I, two emerging markets that will drive tourism growth over the next decade. This not only means you get to learn about all three super-relevant market segments at one event, but since we will be co-located with ESTO in Savannah, GA on August 18-20th, you can combine 2 important industry conferences all in one trip.
Join for 2.5 days of panel discussions, workshops and presentations featuring industry thought leaders,and travel influencers.

View the agenda, speakers and more here.

Meeting Materials

• Draft 23-25 Strategic Plan
• Public comments

Meeting Minutes

Oregon Heritage, part of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, provides technical services and funding to organizations and people doing heritage and history work throughout the state. The Oregon Heritage Conference is one of the ways this service is provided. The conference is offered every other year and brings people from all heritage fields together to learn, explore, reflect, build relationships, and engage. It serves staff and volunteers of nonprofit organizations, state, local and Tribal governments and individuals do work related to Oregon’s heritage including research, designation, access to Oregon’s history, archaeology, downtown vitality, genealogy and preservation of historic buildings, cemeteries, and sites.
More information to come.

ESTO is the leading annual learning and knowledge-sharing forum for destination marketing professionals. This dynamic and acclaimed conference features three nonstop days of relevant, engaging content.

What you can expect to get from ESTO:

• Attendees network with the best and brightest in the travel industry. ESTO attracts the nation’s top industry CEOs and marketing leaders at the city, regional and state levels.
• Through a combination of large-scale keynote presentations and more intimate breakout sessions, ESTO features dynamic speakers, who present content that informs and inspires.
• ESTO provides a one-of-a-kind forum for large and small destinations to learn about current trends, hear the latest research and discover implications for the future of their brand.
• The Destiny and Mercury Awards celebrate the year’s best campaigns, promotions and creative. Collectively, these award programs are made up of 25+ categories and receive more than 300 entries.
• At ESTO, you’ll gain access to exclusive research, network with colleagues, learn about the latest marketing trends and debate pressing issues affecting destinations—all in a non-sales environment.

Join your industry peers at the ORLA Hospitality Conference this fall! Hundreds of industry professionals will come together for thought leadership, networking, workshops and celebration! You and your team will share best practices, learn something new, and have a lot of fun.
The conference begins Saturday, Sept. 30 at 5:45 p.m. with a welcome reception and concludes Monday, Oct. 2 with an evening Dine Around Ashland and 7:30 p.m. dessert reception.

Review the detailed agenda here.

Join the annual end-of-season tourism industry gathering. Enjoy delicious food, great company, helpful workshops, and inspiring talks from distinguished guest speakers, presented by OCVA.
Registration is now open! Get your tickets and use code EARLYBIRD before June 20 for a 10 percent discount.

We encourage participants to review the Grant Guidelines along with the Application Questions and come prepared with inquiries.
Questions asked at the session/s will be added to the grant programs FAQ page.

ABOUT THE GRANT PROGRAM:  

Travel Oregon’s Competitive Grants are intended to contribute to the development and improvement of communities throughout the state by means of the enhancement, expansion, and promotion of the visitor industry.

Travel Oregon’s 10-Year Strategic Vision holds four objectives:

• Oregon’s tourism economy is flourishing.
• Oregon is striving to be a place of equity.
• Oregon delivers remarkable experiences.
• Oregon respects its natural environments.

Each of the interconnected objectives are supported by priority strategies to help bring Travel Oregon’s mission to life. The 2023-2025 Competitive Grants Program is designed to address the following strategic priorities that are part of Travel Oregon’s 2023-2025 Biennial Plan:

• Reduce high visitation pressures and increase community livability by investing in the development of niche tourism product that is based on growing visitor demand and Oregon’s competitive advantage (e.g., outdoor recreation, culinary, agritourism, arts and culture).
• Expand opportunities for residents and tourism stakeholders to actively engage and collaborate in destination management processes.
• Align and support communications across the tourism industry to improve visitor behaviors and experiences with timely information, responsible recreation practices and respect for all communities.
• Support the development of new and existing tourism-related facilities and products (e.g., visitor experiences, attractions, and public spaces) to better serve historically and currently underserved and under-resourced communities.

Moving in alignment with the objectives and strategic priorities, the 2023-2025 Competitive Grants Program will center funding around accessibility and inclusivity. Communities that are underserved and under-resourced, including people with disabilities, BIPOC, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes and LBGTQIA+ communities are encompassed in this focus. Grant funds are intended to support projects that align with Travel Oregon’s vision: Oregon is a welcoming destination where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures.

The Letter of Intent (LOI) phase of the application opened at 8 a.m. PST on July 13 and will be accepted until Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. PST.

Inquiries about the grants program can be made at any time, please email grants@traveloregon.com.

Through inspired leadership, main street programs throughout Oregon are helping to sustain and enhance the vitality of traditional commercial districts. The 2023 Oregon Main Street Conference is a great way to look at the “big picture” about the importance of main street districts to the health and well-being of local communities – physically, economically and socially.
The conference theme this year is Idea to Implementation, which reflects the innovation happening in our Oregon Main Street organizations to think creatively about the issues and opportunities impacting their communities and then developing concrete programs and activities to bring about meaningful change.

Sessions will cover a variety of topics for both beginners and those with experience. The format includes keynotes, interactive workshops and networking time.

Who Should Attend:
Staff and volunteers of organizations focusing on downtown historic preservation and economic development, downtown business and property owners, government leaders, chamber of commerce professionals and volunteers, and others with an interest in the future of downtown will benefit from attending this conference.

Get to know the keynote speakers and see a detailed agenda here.

Join the ODA Annual Conference, made possible by the host destination, Newberg, held at The Allison.
Conference Registration is open to all Dues-current ODA Members and Associate Members.

Contact OregonDestinationManager@gmail.com to register.