Participate in an exciting in-person event, the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Tourism Partner Engagement Meeting! This is the first in-person regional gathering since COVID and it will be packed full of new insights and research about the region, regional updates, and opportunities and resources available to you and your organization.
Whether you work for a hotel, tour operator, land manager, or any other tourism-related business/organization/non-profit in the Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge region, this meeting is for you.
Locl Fundamentals (Jan. 10)
Monitoring and managing your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the best ways to improve your visibility and conversion. Responding to reviews and other activities like uploading photos and posting updates can drive more exposure and customers to your business.
To help make managing your GBP easier, Travel Oregon partnered with Portland-based company Locl to provide you (free!) access to a suite of GBP optimization tools. Locl helps businesses manage profile updates, create events and offers, engage with customer reviews, monitor business performance and act on insights – all in one place and for every location.
Join Tommy Chipman of Locl and learn how to use Locl’s optimization suite to maximize your GBP and drive business.
Session Outcomes:
• Understand what a Google Business Profile (GBP) is and why it is important.
• Understand what Locl is and why it is important.
• Learn how to use your GBP profile to access to Locl for free.
• Learn how to take advantage of Locl’s optimization suite to improve GBP listings, monitor business performance and act on insights.
• Learn what features Locl offers that GBP doesn’t have.
Photo by Brian Kimmel.
March 2024 Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting
The March 11 meeting was in person and live-streamed on Travel Oregon’s Industry YouTube channel.
- Access the agenda here.
- Review the Strategic Plan Progress Report.
- Review the meeting minutes here.
Additional Meeting Materials + Presentations
- Local Welcome
- International Tourism Update & Forecast
- Travel Oregon with Travel Oregon Campaign Update
- Competitive Grants Update
- RARE AmeriCorps Partnerships
- Preview of 2024 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism
If you have any questions or comments about the meeting, email industry@traveloregon.com.
Maximize Exposure of Your Google Business Profiles
This webinar was recorded. Watch the recording here and view the presentation here.
Now that you know the basics of your Google Business Profile, learn how to maximize your efforts. In this webinar you will learn: how to utilize Posts for updates, best practices on responding to customer reviews and questions, best practices on images and videos, and understanding Insights data.
Join Travel Oregon and Kim Palmer of Miles Partnership and learn how to maximize the exposure of your Google Business Profile.
This webinar is recommended for those who have attended a Google Business Profiles Fundamentals webinar to learn the 5 fundamentals of managing their Google Business Profile(s). Watch videos of past webinars at https://www.industry.traveloregon.com/listings
March 2024 Oregon Dark Sky Tourism Learning Community Meeting
Register for Travel Oregon’s Dark Sky Tourism Learning Community meeting to learn about the latest developments and opportunities for dark sky tourism in Oregon. The goal of this Learning Community is to facilitate education and foster alignment across the tourism industry and key stakeholders in order to elevate Oregon as a premier destination for dark sky experiences.
This meeting is open to anyone interested in preserving Oregon’s dark skies, developing and promoting dark sky visitor experiences, and staying connected with dark sky initiatives and stakeholders across the state.
Those interested in also attending the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism must register here. Registration for the conference is not required to participate in the Learning Community meeting.
Contact Hilary Sager with any questions related to meeting logistics. An agenda will be shared with registrants in advance of the meeting.
Looking for more information on dark sky tourism? Visit industry.traveloregon.com/darkskies to access industry resources or request a personal consultation with a dark sky expert.
Marketing Mixer
Enjoy drinks, appetizers and an opportunity to share marketing strategies to drive statewide advertising alignment and increase tourism’s economic impact. This event is for tourism partners with an advertising budget of $10,000 or more annually.
To encourage open conversation between tourism partners, we ask that agencies or companies not attend without their DMO partner. Agencies attending are only able to attend representing their client.
Global Sales Happy Hour
This event, organized by Travel Oregon’s Global Sales team, is a networking opportunity for the industry and special guests from NTA (National Tour Alliance) and IGLTA. Refreshments and snacks will be available.
Oregon Welcome Center Celebrates 15th Anniversary at PDX
Since its establishment in 2009, the Travel Oregon Welcome Center at the Portland International Airport (PDX) has been a pivotal destination for over half a million visitors, delivering a warm welcome and reliable information about Oregon’s diverse attractions and activities. Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff takes pride in delivering award-winning customer service, ensuring visitors receive personalized recommendations tailored to their interests. All welcome centers, including PDX, carry a wide array of high-quality printed guides, brochures, and maps offering comprehensive information on Oregon’s scenic landscapes, cultural highlights, outdoor adventures, and lesser-known treasures in every region.
Recent enhancements to the welcome center’s accessibility features comprise sensory kits tailored for travelers with sensory challenges, a hearing loop to assist those with hearing impairments, and an expanded range of in-language guides in Japanese, German, French, and Korean. Furthermore, Travel Oregon has extended visitor information services to a satellite location in PDX’s new Rental Car Center building, complete with custom-made interpretive brochure racks.
The center’s success is only possible with the support of the Port of Portland, our brochure program advertisers and vendors like Certified Folder Display, Inc.
Questions? Contact us at portlandwc@traveloregon.com or 503.284.4620