May 27, 2021

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

Welcome to Oregon Again Toolkit

Please join Travel Oregon in this momentous return to inspirational marketing by leveraging our Welcome to Oregon Again paid media plan and sharing and extending content. The campaign is scheduled to run June 1-July 25 with a pause leading up to the 4th of July holiday. The role of our advertising is to inspire a reaction from consumers in the form of seeking more information, whether that be traveloregon.com, our social channels, 1-800 #, or Welcome Centers where we will continue to focus on our core messages of:

Safe Travel: Note that we are updating all safe travel information to include that you should be vaccinated to travel to protect yourself, your community and the community you are visiting
Responsible Recreation
Business Resiliency

Use our Welcome to Oregon Again Toolkit to access and share videos, still images, banner ads and more.

Grant Fund Launches to Help Oregon Small Businesses Cover Costs

Yesterday, Business Oregon opened the final portion of their grants program for small businesses to help with commercial rent and operational costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application process is not first-come, first-served. Awards will be selected after a random lottery process of all complete and eligible applications received. Applicants are encouraged to take time with the application form to make sure all information is correct.

Learn more and apply.

Maximize Google My Business with Locl

On June 22, Travel Oregon will team up with Locl to show you how to take advantage of Google My Business (GMB) and optimize your profile using Locl's platform.

If you are a tourism business operating in Oregon and want to elevate your presence on Google, don’t miss out on this opportunity. We also encourage destination management organizations and industry partners to attend and share this opportunity with local businesses.

To learn more, visit Travel Oregon’s toolkit and register for the June 22 training.

Governor's Conference Update: Awards Ceremony and Travel Portland Collaboration

Travel Oregon is pleased to present the Oregon Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, June 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. as part of the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Winners will be recognized from each of the seven tourism regions in addition to the awards for leaders in partnership, leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Governor Kate Brown will also recognize the winner of the Governor’s Award acknowledging commitment and service to the visitor experience.

During the morning break, Travel Portland invites you to hop on board a virtual tour of Portland. Our tour guide will take you on an adventure through Portland – exploring the places you already know and love and introducing new places you’ve yet to discover. Don’t miss the opportunity to be inspired and inspire others to travel to Portland. And to top it off, two lucky viewers will win overnight packages to Portland.

All registered conference attendees will begin receiving conference specific emails starting the week of June 1 with detailed information and reminders.

Oregon Hospitality Foundation Kicks Off Dine Local Campaign

This month, the Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) launched their Dine Local campaign to promote local dining and bring awareness to the work of the foundation. With support from NW Natural, OHF is holding a drawing for eight $50 restaurant gift certificates each weekday from May 17-June 11. Learn more about the campaign and enter to win, here.