New TravelOregon.com

The new TravelOregon.com and the new Oregon Tourism Information System (OTIS) have launched. Two years in the making, the new website has 102 landing pages featuring 1,947 published stories and another 10,716 points of interest from OTIS. Formerly known as the Orb, OTIS is a collaborative platform used for sharing and maintaining Oregon's tourism assets.

Some highlights:

More flexible region and city pages that allow us to shape the story for each place; e.g. Newport as a marine science hub or Eugene as TrackTown USA
Integration of partner Instagram photos (e.g. Seaside)
Ride Oregon Ride content now featured on the new cycling page
The site was designed to be mobile first and our goal is to keep load times under four seconds
OTIS features a new user interface with a simple, modern style and enhanced usability
OTIS brings together federal and state outdoor recreation data powered by Oregon State Parks and Recreation.gov

Are You Ready for Winter?

We’re looking forward to another great season of snow sports. Our winter campaign will be launching in October, with new assets, toolkits and opportunities to inspire visitors to explore Oregon this winter.

This is the perfect opportunity to review your listings on TravelOregon.com. Send updates or new listings to OTIS@TravelOregon.com.

Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative Phase One Summary

Travel Oregon published a summary report of the first phase of the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative. The report highlights the efforts of the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Leadership Team to develop a 15-year vision, five-year outcomes and two-year strategy for expanding access to outdoor recreation and increasing the economic impact and sustainability of Oregon’s outdoor recreation industry.

The report provides an overview of the public outreach Travel Oregon conducted from April - May 2017 to inform the leadership team’s final product and determine next steps. Learn more about the initiative and read the report here.

Tourism Partners Bring ESTO Awards Home

Casey Knopik and Aaaron Liersemann, Tourism Specialists focusing on destination development for Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory, were honored at the annual U.S. Travel Association's ESTO conference in Minneapolis, Minn. They received the Destination Council's Rising Star Award. The award is given to someone who works within a destination marketing organization with three or less years of experience and is creating positive change in the industry. Read the press release.

And, congratulations to Travel Portland for their Destiny award in International Marketing. The Destinations Council Destiny Award program recognizes U.S. Travel destination members for excellence and creative accomplishment in destination marketing and promotion at the local and regional level; and foster the development of imaginative and innovative destination marketing promotion programs and activities. See the list of Destiny Award recipients.

Oregon Wine A-List Nominations

The Oregon Wine Board announced that nominations for the 2018 Oregon Wine A-List Restaurant Awards are now open. The Oregon Wine A-List Awards recognize restaurants across the world displaying enthusiasm for Oregon wine and a deep appreciation of the diverse regions, varietals and producers of Oregon. Anyone may nominate a deserving restaurant for a spot on the Oregon Wine A-List before Oct. 31.

For more information and to submit a nomination, visit www.oregonwinealist.com. The 2018 Oregon Wine A-List Awards will be announced in January.

Banner image: Strolling Pond Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, courtesy of David Cobb.

Oops! We forgot to credit last month's photo. Banner image courtesy of Kenji Sugahara.