Travel Oregon Comes to Aid of 121 Tourism Industry Organizations



Travel Oregon Comes to Aid of 121 Tourism Industry Organizations

Published 06/30/2020 at 6:43 PM PDT
By OREGON TRAVEL DAILY STAFF

Travel Oregon Comes to Aid of 121 Tourism Industry Organizations

(Salem, Oregon) - Early in 2020, Oregon’s tourism industry was on track to see an 11th year of record growth, with visitors pouring in from all over and state residents enjoying the best of its natural and cultural amenities. Then, COVID-19 came in like a hurricane, starting in late February, with travel cancellations happening quickly and then the big shutdown and quarantine in late March, just as spring break was beginning.

By the end of the shutdown, Oregon’s travel and hospitality industries were in trouble, and even as the state began its slow reopen the budget shortfalls were daunting. Lodging properties, tour operators, guides and outfitters, federally recognized tribes and destination marketing organizations (DMOs) couldn’t usually look to the federal programs for assistance, but luckily Travel Oregon was able to come to the rescue of hundreds of regional businesses and organizations.

The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, awarded $800,225 to local Oregon businesses to help offset the losses, enabling many to keep operating at all. The agency redirected its standard scheduled competitive medium grant cycle and reallocated this funding to help support operational costs for local, small tourism businesses with the goal of maintaining jobs and the ability to keep doors open when travel resumes.

Travel Oregon came to the rescue of some 121 organizations in the region: from the coast to eastern Oregon; north to south and the central parts of the state.

In total, 332 applications were submitted with 121 awarded in 30 Oregon counties. More than 90% of the funds are awarded to businesses in Oregon communities with fewer than 35,000 residents and more than 70% of the funds are dedicated to cover some portion of payroll expenses.

“Our hope is that these grant dollars help keep businesses and organizations from shuttering permanently,” said Todd Davidson, CEO Travel Oregon. “As Oregon gradually positions itself to begin to welcome visitors, it will be these marketing organizations, small lodging properties, guides and outfitters and the like that will be providing and sharing legendary Oregon experiences with them,” “Public health has to remain a priority for our state as we help Oregon communities that rely on tourism to stabilize during this time of transition. Long-term, it is these businesses that will be crucial to the state’s economic recovery.”

Among the tour operators / guides that received money included Crater Lake Zipline LLC in Klamath Falls, Gray Line of Portland and Cog Wild Bicycle Tours in Oakridge.

Hotels / lodgings that received help included Columbia Gorge Vacation Rentals, Rovers RV Park in Waldport, Itty Bitty Inn in North Bend, Newbert’s Le Puy, A Wine Valley Inn, Newberg, Seaside Oceanfront Inn, Painted Hills Vacation Rentals LLC in Mitchell and Mountain Getaway Lodging, Enterprise, Timbers Motel in Eugene, Dufur’s Balch Hotel, Aspen Inn at Fort Klamath, Newport’s Embarcadero Resort Hotel & Marina, and Crater Lake Country Suites in Medford among many others.

Visitor centers that received money include Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs in West Linn, Dallas Area Visitors Center, Heppner Chamber of Commerce, and those in Redmond, Pendleton, Sisters along with plenty along the Oregon coast.

These grant projects will be completed by the end of the year. For more information on Travel Oregon’s grants program visit: industry.traveloregon.com/grants.