Oregon tourism exhibits a lot of promise

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Oregon has become a preferred destination for travelers around the US, and even around the world. For the past few days, Bend has become the epicentre of it all, at the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism. 500 people from across Oregon gathered at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes to discuss the latest happenings in the travel and tourism industry.

 
From Smith Rock to Mt. Bachelor, Central Oregon is full of tourism opportunities. Hence, this year’s conference was held in Bend and it brought industry experts from across the state, including Kitri McGuire from Visit McMinnville.

 
McGuire said, “Collaboration is really what it’s all about in McMinnville. We’re so close to the coast, to Portland, to Eugene, so there’s a lot of an opportunity for us to partner with amazing destinations to improve how Oregon is seen around the country and around the world.”

 
The tourism industry of Oregon brings in $11.8 billion annually employing more than 112,000 people.

 
In Central Oregon, the travel and tourism industry brings in $903 million and employs 9,400 Central Oregonians.

 
Roger Dow, the President and CEO of U.S. Travel, acknowledged the fact that the Trump administration have made international tourism more difficult.

 
Dow said, “We’ve got a challenge, and I’m not going to sugar-coat it,” Dow said. “There’s so much talk about security and travel bans that it’s harming the welcome message we all try to do in America.”

 
“The message to the president is: ‘We can win.’ We’ve got to speak his language. It’s about, ‘We can win. We’re leaving money on the table,'” Dow said.

« Back to Page