May 27 Industry Newsletter

Dear tourism industry partners,

With vaccination rates increasing and Oregon counties moving to lower risk categories, it feels like we’re finally starting to move to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past year, Oregon communities were impacted in so many ways, one of which was by devastating declines in visitor spending. Preliminary economic impact numbers from Dean Runyan Associates demonstrate how severe this impact has been: In 2020, visitor spending in Oregon declined almost 50% from $12.8 billion to $6.5 billion. And, as a result, more than 26,000 tourism-related jobs were lost.

Rebuilding and recovery won’t happen overnight. And if the pandemic taught us anything, it is that we must reopen in safe and strategic ways that lead to stability and resiliency in our tourism economy. The road to recovery will require a multitude of initiatives and investments that are unique to the needs of each community. That is why this spring, Travel Oregon invested in a multi-million-dollar suite of investments to support local communities and partners in preparation for the summer season through grants and direct community investments.

Today, I’m very pleased to announce the next program in Travel Oregon’s suite of investments geared toward economic recovery. On June 1, we will launch our marketing recovery campaign, Welcome to Oregon Again.

This campaign is designed to promote in-state travel, support local tourism businesses, and inspire Oregonians to explore the wealth of activities, amenities, cultures and natural beauty in their home state. It will position Travel Oregon as a trusted resource to provide COVID-related information on traveling Oregon safely and sharing best practices on recreating responsibly. As we move toward recovery, our campaign will focus on helping communities rebuild what we’ve lost by encouraging all of us, as Oregonians, to be intentional about where we travel and spend our money.

Travel Oregon is excited to release this economic marketing recovery campaign and continue our efforts in supporting the state’s economic resilience. We look forward to an Oregon summer of road trips, main street visits and recreational adventures where the exploration of our state helps rebuild our economy and supports our tourism partners statewide.

All my best,

Todd Davidson
CEO, Travel Oregon