HELLO!
Welcome to Explore Lincoln City’s Industry eNewsletter, where we keep you informed on initiatives and resources related to tourism in Lincoln City. Please share this newsletter with your colleagues and business associates to help strengthen our outreach.
Kim Cooper Findling
Director, Explore Lincoln City
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TWO PART MESSAGING ON HIGHWAY 18
Explore Lincoln City recently expanded our roadside outreach with a second billboard along Highway 18, heading into Lincoln City near Grand Ronde. This new installation is half a mile from our long-standing billboard location, creating a two-part message welcoming visitors to the coast. Together, the signs read: “Come As You Are – Care As You Explore.”
The updated messaging continues to reinforce our successful “Come As You Are” campaign while layering in stewardship education. This paired approach increases engagement and brand recall, and helps promote responsible tourism through a fun, modern lens.
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SUMMER OCCUPANCY
Tourism in Lincoln City is holding strong this year. Lincoln City occupancy rates year-to-date show an increase for 2025 over 2024. January through July 2024 was at 59% average occupancy, while January through July 2025 is sitting at 62% average occupancy. The three nights of Fourth of July weekend—one of the peak visitor weekends for the summer—were the same year-over-year, at 83% occupancy for both 2024 and 2025. This is great news in an uncertain economy and as many other Oregon cities are experiencing a dip in visitation.
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FIRST EVER LIGHTED NIGHT FLY AT FALL KITE FESTIVAL
To commemorate the 45th annual Lincoln City Fall Kite Festival, Explore Lincoln City is excited to feature a lighted night fly. On Friday, September 19, join the fun from 7 – 9 p.m. to experience a one-of-a-kind show. Tim Sorenson, a lighted kite enthusiast from Alaska, will bring lighted kites to the beach at D River State Recreation Area, including an octopus. Fall Kite Fest continues the next two days September 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with local vendors offering food and apparel, community partners offering games, and colorful kites filling the air with joy.
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NEW INSIGHTS INTO SEASONAL VISITATION
Summer season is at its peak—this weekend and next typically represent the highest visitation numbers of the year. Explore Lincoln City can now estimate how many visitors are in town on an annual and seasonal basis, using data collated from occupancy rates, Travel Oregon visitor surveys and cell phone data contracted through Datafy.
On average, Lincoln City welcomes about 5,700 overnight visitors per day year-round, with that number rising to around 6,500 per day during the high season. Day trip visitation averages 2,772 people per day annually, increasing to about 3,263 per day in peak season.
We can conclude from these estimates that on the busiest summer weeks (historically mid-August), Lincoln City demonstrates an estimated combined total visitor and resident population of 19,000 to 24,000 people a day.
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CURIOUS ABOUT TOURISM FUNDING IN LINCOLN CITY?
Tourism dollars go a long way in Lincoln City, helping promote and manage our town as a top destination while also investing in infrastructure and services that benefit local residents. Lincoln City has a 12% Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) on all overnight stays. Here’s where that money goes:
- 38% of TLT funds go to Explore Lincoln City, supporting tourism promotion, visitor experience enhancements, and stewardship education. These efforts help keep Lincoln City a competitive destination and ensure ongoing economic return.
- The remaining 62% supports the wider community through investments in streets, public safety, parks, and facility improvements.
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SIGNAGE UPGRADES AROUND TOWN
Explore Lincoln City reinvested transient lodging tax into the community by funding new signs for parks, beach accesses and parking lots. Look for more new signs to appear around town throughout the fall.
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RESIDENT SENTIMENT ON TOURISM TRENDING UP
Tourism is earning more local goodwill in Lincoln City. In spring 2025, an OSU-Cascades survey found 38% of residents believe tourism brings more benefits than costs—up 4 points from last year—while those who felt the opposite dropped by 11 points.
Views on quality of life are also improving. 38% say tourism has a positive impact, compared to 35% who see it as negative. Residents pointed to jobs, economic activity, and community amenities as key benefits, while citing traffic, housing, and cost of living as top concerns.
Overall, Lincoln City continues to strike a healthy balance between welcoming visitors and preserving community well-being, outperforming many comparable destinations. The year-over-year gains suggest momentum is moving in the right direction.
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DID YOU FIND THIS HELPFUL?
Please share the Lincoln City Industry eNewsletter with your colleagues and friends to keep the Lincoln City tourism community connected and up to date! Click here to sign up and stay informed.
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Explore Lincoln City is the tourism department of the City of Lincoln City and the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for the Lincoln City area, serving as a resource for Lincoln City’s tourism industry and promoting economic development through tourism marketing, destination management and stewardship initiatives. Explore Lincoln City is funded by transient lodging tax paid by visitors for overnight stays.
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