Travel Oregon Requests Your Input For Expanding Outdoor Recreation In Oregon

In March 2017, Travel Oregon launched the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative, a new statewide effort to bring together businesses, agencies, land managers, conservation groups and recreational user groups around the goal of expanding access to outdoor recreation and increasing the economic impact and sustainability of Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy.

To prepare for this launch, Travel Oregon convened the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Leadership Team from June 2016 to February 2017. The Leadership Team developed initial drafts of the 15-Year Vision, 5-Year Outcomes and 2-Year Strategies for the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative.

We are now interested in hearing from Oregonians on what they would like to see improved to enhance outdoor recreation in Oregon. Additionally, we are seeking feedback on the priority strategies that have been proposed by the Leadership Team. To gather this information, we are  conducting five statewide public outreach meetings. In addition, we have also created a survey for this purpose.

We welcome you to provide your perspective by completing this online survey by Monday, May 22nd Date

Through this survey we hope to better understand what opportunities you see for expanding outdoor recreation in Oregon, along with any barriers you feel impede our ability as a collective to achieve a world-class and sustainable outdoor recreation industry for our state.

The findings from both the survey and the public outreach meetings will be shared with the Leadership Team and utilized to fine tune the direction of this initiative.

In the future, we plan to invite stakeholders to remain engaged with this initiative through regular gatherings and opportunities to work collaboratively on priority strategies.

Contact Information
Destination Development, Travel Oregon
Development@TravelOregon.com
971.717.6212

Agritourism Permitting Tips
Agritourism Permitting Tips

We are excited to share a new publication from Oregon Sea Grant, “Agritourism in Oregon’s Coastal Counties: Land use policy and permitting requirements.” This document provides guidance for coastal farmers considering agritourism as a way to enhance or expand their business.

The publication summarizes the agritourism land use policy and permitting requirements for farm use, farm stands, home occupation, agritourism events and wineries, and provides contact information for Oregon coastal county planning departments, as well as online resources for additional information.

You may download a free PDF of the four-page publication here.

The Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio concluded in Coos Bay April 19th 2017. The Studio resulted in the creation of three Action Teams that will carry forward the community’s vision for sustainable tourism development in the region. The Action Teams will be overseen by a Tourism Steering Committee that is responsible for upholding the region’s tourism vision and setting strategic direction for this effort. The Tourism Steering Committee will be convened by Miles Phillips, OSU Extension (miles.phillips@oregonstate.edu). It’s not too late to join the effort to build a thriving tourism economy on the South Coast! Contact an action team convener listed below if you are interested in getting involved in an Action Team.

Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio

Southern Oregon Coast Action Team Conveners & Priority Projects

Outdoor Recreation Action Team: Convener – Dave Lacey, Oregon Coast Visitors Association (dave@thepeoplescoast.com)

  • Develop a regional trails inventory and comprehensive trails plan

Culinary & Agritourism Action Team: Convener – Michelle Martin, Neighborworks Umpqua (mmartin@nwumpqua.org)

  • Expand the Wild Rivers Coast Farm Trail to Coos and Douglas County, including seafood and artisans food opportunities

Marketing Action Team: Convener – Marie Simonds, Wild Rivers Coast Alliance (msimonds@wildriverscoastalliance.com)

  • Develop marketing assets through compiling quality data for Travel Oregon’s database and developing a high-quality photography library for the region

Learn more about Travel Oregon’s Rural Tourism Studio and access materials from the Southern Oregon Coast workshops here.