In recent years, Oregon has seen an increase in the size of wildfires. 2017 was the fifth worst fire season for Oregon since 2000, burning about 1 million acres.
Based on the 2017 study by Dean Runyan & associates, the economic impact of the 2017 fire season was over $51 million lost in visitor spending.
When we surveyed businesses in 2017, Nearly half of the them believed that Oregon will see a decline in visitation due to the possible perceived risk and diminished image.
The objective of this study was to better understand how recent wildfire seasons have affected visitors’ experiences, their perception and future behavior.