STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS REPORT OCTOBER 2020 ALY NICKLAS ALY ABOUT TRAVEL OREGON The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, works to enhance visitors’ experiences by providing information, resources and trip planning tools that inspire travel and consistently convey the exceptional quality of Oregon. The commission aims to improve Oregonians’ quality of life by strengthening the economic impacts of the state’s $12.8 billion* tourism industry that employs more than 117,000 Oregonians. Visit traveloregon.com to learn more. (*These numbers reflect the 2019 economy, prior to COVID-19).

This Strategic Plan Progress Report (SPPR) is a high-level summary of key initiatives and programs embedded within Travel Oregon’s 2019-21 Strategic Plan. The plan was adopted by the Oregon Tourism Commission following review by the Governor, Oregon Legislative Assembly, Oregon travel industry trade associations, applicable state agencies, Oregon’s tourism industry and the public. This SPPR is provided to the Oregon Tourism Commission and shared with Oregon’s tourism industry and other interested parties to report on program advancement, key learnings, agency and industry performance metrics and general updates on the 2019-21 Travel Oregon Strategic Plan since the Commission’s last meeting. ELENA PRESSPRICH ELENA MESSAGE FROM CEO

Dear Commissioners, We can all feel extremely grateful for the firefighters, first responders, utility crews and volunteers who are working tirelessly through this wildfire season. And it’s thanks to It feels like 2020 has been un- them and their example, coupled with the resilient spirit of relenting in producing crises Oregonians and the expressions of love and support from our and the impacts of the current friends and colleagues across the globe that I know we will wildfire situation in Oregon come through this. As a friend of mine from DC shared in a is devastating. The loss of recent email, “Oregon is a special place and nothing can take lives is gut-wrenching and the that away despite how hard this awful year tries. I can’t wait destruction of homes, busi- to come back—as soon as possible. My heart is with you.” nesses, belongings and communities experienced by friends, family and fellow Oregonians is heart-breaking. I continue to be inspired by the resilient people that make up our state. And I am grateful to have your leadership and While Travel Oregon and Oregon’s tourism industry have support to aid in rebuilding our state’s economy. The work we faced wildfires before, the acres burned at the rate they have do together is as important now as it has ever been, I dare say been is unmatched in recent history. In response, Travel even more so. Oregon has activated its consumer travel alerts page to pro- vide current up-to-date information and we will continue Thank you for your continued service to Oregon’s tourism to update the Oregon Wildfire Information page to share industry. helpful resources, messaging and opportunities to help fellow Oregonians.

Just as we adapted our strategies in response to COVID-19, Best regards, I am committed to Travel Oregon’s allocation of time and resource to aid in the resiliency and recovery of the tourism industry in the face of these wildfires – and I welcome our upcoming time together to review what the team is doing to Todd Davidson respond to the current crises and hear your reactions and CEO perspectives.

OREGON TOURISM COMMISSION

Chair Vice Chair Scott Youngblood Nigel Francisco

Don Richard Lucinda Maria Mia Kenji Greg Anway Boyles DiNovo Ponzi Sheppard Sugahara Willitts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

OREGON TOURISM COMMISSION 3 CEO Letter 6 COVID-19 Strategies, Mission & Vision 8 Values, Equity Statement

AGENDA 9 October 6 Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting

STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS REPORT 11 Monitor revenue projections and associated budget implications; amend budgets in real-time as needed 13 Support and engage staff with timely, clear and transparent communication and direction 13 Execute a clear communications strategy including industry, policy makers and consumers in order to provide the most up to date resources, champion the value of tourism and share compelling Oregon stories 15 Continue to assist industry with leveraging new and existing sales channels to produce bookings 17 Execute an effective marketing campaign reflecting the State of Oregon Equity Framework in COVID-19 Response and Recovery that offers robust cooperative buy-ins for industry alignment and impact to boost the recovery of Oregon’s travel industry 27 Deploy Regional Cooperative Tourism Program and Competitive Grant program funding to ensure industry resiliency and expedite economic recovery 28 Travel Oregon teams and RDMOs are continuing to meet on a regular basis to determine the best response. 29 Support community and business leaders, key organization and public agencies across Oregon with the development and deployment of responsible visitor management strategies following the State of Oregon Equity Framework in COVID-19 Response and Recovery 33 Renew our commitment and evolve agency- wide priorities to advance diversity, equity and inclusion throughout Oregon’s tourism industry

APPENDIX 36 Appendix – Earned Media Coverage

PERFORMANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY 38 Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet

5 DYLAN VANWEELDEN DYLAN TRAVEL OREGON COVID-19 RESPONSE PRIORITY STRATEGIES

There are no words to adequately convey the impact that COVID-19 is having on our state. We have endured public health and economic challenges in the past, but none that have impacted every person that lives in Oregon – and none that have been as sudden or severe. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon’s travel and tourism economy was booming. In fact, 2019 marked the state’s tenth consecutive year of growth in travel-related spending and visitation.

In 2019:

• Total direct travel spending was $12.8 billion, a 3.6% increase over 2018. VISION • The industry employed 117,500 Oregonians, a 1.4% increase over 2018. A better life for all Oregonians through strong, sustainable local communities • And employee earnings were $3.8 billion, a 6% increase over 2018. that welcome a diversity of explorers. COVID-19 has effectively crumbled our industry, but these numbers MISSION demonstrate how integral the travel and tourism industry is to the state’s We inspire travel that drives community economy – and how crucial the industry and our agency will be in the state’s enhancement and economic development. economic recovery. Travel Oregon is funded by a statewide transient Through innovation and partnerships, lodging tax and as such, steep declines in lodging revenues translate into we share the stories of Oregon’s people significant reductions in agency resource. The resulting impact of this and places, deliver world-class experi- is immediate and potentially long-term. We have made every effort to ences, strengthen the industry, work to manage through this decline by preserving essential programs necessary ensure all travelers feel welcome and in support of our industry and rebuilding Oregon’s economy. preserve Oregon’s way of life and its To that end, Travel Oregon has defined outcomes and priority strategies to natural places. guide the agency’s work through two phases to ensure business continuity IMPERATIVES and expedite economic recovery in the travel and tourism industry. • Optimize Statewide Economic Impact These phases will align with Governor Brown’s phased approach for • Support and Empower Oregon’s reopening. Staff have been working on the implementation of these Tourism Industry strategies and will continue to define and refine this work in response • Champion the Value of Tourism to external variables. Our agency realignment is narrowing its focus on how we support, grow and promote the thoughtful reopening of Oregon’s • Run an Effective Business tourism industry. We will do our part to help our local communities through the economic rebuilding process as we move forward together.

DESIRED OUTCOMES • Policies and procedures are updated to align with the governor’s direction, Oregon Health Authority and CDC guidelines. • Programs are responsive to industry need and scaled to revised budget projections for business continuity. • Travel Oregon and its partners have successfully executed programs that are driving statewide overnight visitation. • Travel Oregon is viewed as a trusted resource for travelers by providing access to timely information on where and how visitors can travel in Oregon during this time. • Businesses in the travel and tourism industry have the tools, resources and information needed to function successfully in the new operating environment and are prepared for future closures. • Responsive visitor management strategies are in place, understanding the need to be nimble and adaptive as the state moves through Governor Brown’s reopening framework. • Policymakers, community leaders, business leaders and agency partners feel prepared for reopening.

6 JUNE 2020 COMMISSION MEETING PHASE 1: CRISIS – THE INITIAL 8-12 WEEKS Stay Home. Save Lives. | Estimated March 15 – June 15

PHASE 2: RECOVERY - THE NEXT 12-16 WEEKS Reopening Oregon | Estimated June 15 – October 15

PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2 STRATEGIES AT A GLANCE Marketing and Sales Create an effective marketing campaign reflecting Governor Brown’s “Reopening Oregon” framework that offers robust cooperative buy-ins for industry alignment and impact to boost the recovery of Oregon’s travel industry. Assist industry with identifying new sales channels that can be leveraged with drive and fly markets in Phase II. Examples: consumer website content around reopening, campaign development for when non-essential travel is allowed, promotion of experiences that can support social distancing, develop statewide packages with partners like online travel agencies, airlines, AAA, etc. Regional Cooperative Tourism Program and Grants Evaluate, revise and deploy the Regional Cooperative Tourism Program and Competitive Grants program guidelines to ensure industry resiliency and expedite economic recovery. Examples: COVID-19 Emergency Response grants, revised opportunities for regional investments to aid recovery. Communications Execute a clear communications strategy for the industry, policymakers and consumers that provides up-to-date resources, demonstrates the value of tourism, and shares compelling Oregon stories. Examples: representation of tourism industry with policymakers, tourism-related research, industry newsletter, COVID-19 toolkit. Education and Engagement Opportunities Evolve design and delivery of educational and engagement opportunities to support tourism businesses, industry stakeholders, and community leaders to expedite economic recovery. Example: Virtual Training, Engagement and Assistance Program. Responsible Visitor Management Support community and business leaders, key organizations and public agencies across Oregon with the development of responsible visitor management strategies in alignment with Governor Brown’s “Reopening Oregon” framework. Examples: Trailhead Ambassadors, Take Care Out There, responsible visitation messaging, wayfinding to support modified visitation. The future of Oregon’s tourism industry will be defined by how we show up to support local economies. As we reopen and rebuild the tourism economy, it will be in an intentional way that supports stabilization and growth of businesses that employ and support Oregonians in local communities. Together, we will get through this. Travel will be different – nothing will quickly return to the way it was before the pandemic. We must be smarter, more strategic, and look at new ways to partner with and support all industries as we recover together. Travel Oregon is here, and we’re ready to work alongside our industry in rebuilding the statewide tourism economy.

7 VALUES

EVERGREEN § We strive to preserve Oregon’s natural beauty with everything we do § We build strength and resiliency for a sustainable future § We balance work and life with our love for Oregon and the people in it

TRAILBLAZE § We lead the way through innovation § We lift each other up while driving forward § We set the bar high and aren’t afraid to fail

TRUE NORTH § We take ownership of our work § We honor our commitments

CANOPY § We celebrate and invite diverse cultures, perspectives and voices § We show up for each other and our industry

EQUITY STATEMENT Travel Oregon is committed to ensuring our work helps Oregon become a more equitable destination, so all who travel the state can enjoy their journey and feel welcome. Our work aligns with how we value Oregon and its communities, our staff and our industry partners. We define equity as: when all people have equal access to the same resources to potentially reach the same outcomes. To that end, we want all people to have access to enjoyable travels throughout Oregon.

We are committed to the following shared values: § Understanding what equity is and acknowledging that not all people have the same starting point. § Being life-long learners regarding equity and committing to the necessary repair work when we misstep. § Working to ensure our intent aligns with our impact.

Travel Oregon is growing in our understanding of the myriad intersecting identities people hold and how some identities are rooted in systems of oppression. We aim to remove barriers from all travelers. Addressing equity through an exploration of people’s held identities helps us to build a stronger more unified community — a community where we see race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, visible and invisible disabilities, socio-economic status, and all of the intersecting identities therein, and we know that in these differences lies our strength. OREGON TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING October 6, 2020 9:00 a.m.

Note, in compliance with Executive Order No. 20-12 Tourism Commission Offices are not open to the public without appointment. In response to Governor Kate Brown’s directive on social distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk of exposure to our communities, this will be a virtual meeting and will be live-streamed on Travel Oregon’s Industry YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/oregontourism/

Welcome and Introductions Chair Youngblood

Chair Remarks Chair Youngblood

Public Comment Chair Youngblood

Commission Business Chair Youngblood

Review of Commission Packets Financial Update Kathleen Stewart

Commission Action Chair Youngblood

Approval of Minutes CEO Remarks Todd Davidson

COVID-19 and Wildfire Emergency Response Regional Partner Updates Harry Dalgaard Reports, Updates & Discussions

2020 Economic Impacts – Quarterly Forecast Ladan Ghahramani & Jordan Bohlander

Public Affairs & Policy Update Sara Morrissey Communications & Visitor Management

Communications Katy Clair Visitor Management Scott Bricker

Welcome Centers Allison George

Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy & Teresa O’Neill & Jason Brandt Travel Oregon Partnership Update Other Business Chair Youngblood

Adjourn Chair Youngblood

If you have any questions or comments related to today’s proceedings or presentations, please email us at If you have any questions or comments related to today’s proceedings or presentations, please email us at [email protected] and indicate “October 2020 –Tourism Commission Meeting” in the subject line. [email protected] and indicate Tourism “October Commission 2020 Public –Tourism Meeting Commission – Dec. 15, Meeting” 2020 in the subject line. Next Tourism Commission Public Meeting – Dec. 15, 2020

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As this report was being finalized, massive wildfires erupted across the state, devastating several communities. The impacts of these historic wildfires have been immense – lives have been lost, homes and businesses destroyed and hundreds of thousands of acres have burned. It may be several months before full damages and associated losses are assessed and it goes without saying that the road to recovery will be long. Much of the work shared in this report will be altered, or even completely changed as we look to the future. Travel Oregon is working to assess the needs of our industry and will share more comprehensive updates on this work in the next Strategic Plan Progress Report. In the meantime, here is a Crisis Communication Tactics 2-page document that captures the different communication channels and activities that are currently activated due to wildfires (and COVID-19). Worldwide, COVID-19 has had devastating effects on economies, health and wellbeing. Oregon is no exception. The state’s travel and tourism industry has seen immediate and potentially long-term impacts. It is in this moment that Travel Oregon finds itself with an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild Oregon tourism, with a priority for doing so in a way that ensures every Oregonian and all who visit feel welcome, safe and valued. It is with a clear resolve to provide a better life for all Oregonians and to ensure that all travelers feel welcome that Travel Oregon has pivoted its strategic plan in response to COVID-19 to expedite economic recovery in the travel and tourism industry. The plan aligns with the State of Oregon Equity Framework in COVID-19 Response and Recovery and Governor Brown’s phased approach for reopening. As we work with partners to recover and rebuild Oregon’s tourism economy, we commit to doing so in a way that advances equity, opportunity and social justice. As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel Oregon has pivoted our work, and the strategies that drive this work – but the overarching Imperatives remain the same: • Optimize Statewide Economic Impact • Support And Empower Oregon’s Tourism Industry • Champion The Value Of Tourism • Run An Effective Business In the sections below, please find updates outlined by the nine strategies that will guide our work as we focus our attention on helping local communities through the economic rebuilding process as we move forward together. MOUNTAINS LEGACY MOUNTAINS We will continue to monitor projections versus COVID-19 PRIORITY actual receipts and the lodging tax data provided by the Oregon DOR, and to analyze and amend program STRATEGIES budgets as necessary to best respond to the needs of Oregon’s travel and tourism industry. Monitor revenue projections and Current fiscal year RCTP and Competitive Grants associated budget implications; budgets are fully funded from prior years’ TLT. All amend budgets in real-time as needed regions received their approved RCTP funds in Q1, totaling $7,980,700, with funds from CY2019 and FINANCIAL UPDATE $44,900 subsidized by Global Strategic Partnerships 2019-20 (FY20) Financials to ensure the minimum $300,000 in funding for the Eastern Oregon region. We will continue to fund the Final FY20 Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) income future RCTP and Competitive Grants programs with a for FY20, including accrued TLT from the Oregon combined 30% of TLT funds, as required by statute. Department of Revenue (DOR), totaled $39,714,125, $614,125 above the June 2020 amended budget of RESEARCH $39,100,000. The funds were allocated as per statute: Tourism Workforce Assessment Study Program Amount To better understand industry workforce conditions RCTP, 20% $122,825 and help inform policy discussions and solutions, Competitive Grants, 10% $61,413 Travel Oregon completed a workforce assessment Other Agency Programs $429,888 for the tourism industry in Oregon. This assessment was completed in 2019 and early 2020, prior to the Total $614,125 COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement The economic downturn really began to impact Travel and wildfire season. Since the assessment, the tourism Oregon in the last quarter of FY20 and continues industry has been radically altered. The effects of today as a result of COVID-19 and subsequent travel these events will linger for years to come and will likely restrictions. The impact on Oregon’s tourism industry accelerate some of the trends identified in the report, has been significant and given the timing of the while others will lessen in importance. funding, the $429,888 in Other Agency Programs will be held for use in FY21. Any allocations other than as Here are key findings from the analysis of Oregon approved by the Commission in the biennial budget tourism employment and wage data: will be brought to the Commission for approval before • Estimated tourism employment in Oregon has expending those funds. increased steadily over time, representing annual Proceeds from Wine Country License Plate sales for growth of 3.2% per year, consistent with employment FY20 totaled $390,063, averaging $32,505 per month. growth for all industries combined. These funds will be available for grants and tourism • Tourism employment exhibits significant seasonality: promotion beginning July 2020. $124,575 in grants and The average change in employment between the $230,954 in tourism promotion funding was distributed summer and winter seasons between 2012 and 2017 in FY20. was 13%. The share of employment attributed to tourism ranged from 3% to 23% across the state’s 2020-21 (FY21) Financials regions, with a statewide average of 4.8%. TLT income for Q1 FY21 totaled $3,208,142, 20.1% of the budgeted $16 million TLT. This is slightly ahead of • Lodging and food service were the categories with the $3 million forecast for the quarter. Approximately the most tourism employees in Oregon as well as three-quarters of these funds were from April-June the largest share of employment attributable to lodging receipts, with the remaining funds processed tourism (34%). Arts, entertainment and recreation this quarter by the Oregon DOR from prior periods. (the category that includes guides and outfitters) had a smaller share of total tourism employment Compared to the same period last year, TLT funds but tourism accounted for a slightly larger share decreased 69.6%. of industry employment (37%). Both the number of tourism employees and the share of industry Q1, FY21 Q1, FY20 Change %Change attributed to tourism were much lower for other 3,208,142 10,562,616 (7,354,474) -69.6% industries (2% to 11%).

11 • Tourism employment requires relatively little formal • Direct travel spending declines to $4.9 billion, a 62% education for most positions: Only one quarter (25%) reduction from $12.8 billion in 2019. of tourism employment requires formal education (a high school diploma, equivalent, or higher) of entry- • Direct industry earnings generated by travel spending level jobseekers, compared to nearly three-quarters decrease 60% to $1.5 billion. (73%) of non-tourism employment. Typical wages • Direct travel industry employment job loss estimated in the industry comport with these findings: Average to be 41,000 jobs, a 35% decline. Employment in 2019 median wage for tourism employment was $13.99/ was 117,500 jobs. hour versus the overall median wage of $19.03/hour (including tips) across all occupations; tourism wages • State tax revenue declines 61% to $139 million, a were lower than non-tourism wages. reduction of $216 million. These state taxes include statewide lodging tax (estimated to be $15.6 million The full report and executive summary will be for 2020, a 62% decrease YOY), gasoline taxes and published in late September. income taxes paid by travel industry businesses and employees. Tourism Impacts during COVID-19 Travel Oregon subscribed to VisaVue® data to estimate • Local tax revenue primarily local lodging taxes quarterly statewide and regional tourism impacts. Visa decreases 44% by the end of 2020. provides us with aggregate depersonalized cardholder transaction data for market segments of domestic • Oregon experiences the highest level of direct travelers within the United States. We used the data travel spending and employment between July and collected through Visa, and forecasts by Dean Runyan September (Q3). Roughly 30% of spending occurs Associates (the most recent reports estimated that during this period. The second highest quarter is direct travel spending in Oregon will face between between April and June (Q2). a 58% to 67% decrease year over year) to create our • Oregon has a mostly even distribution of travel COVID-19 tourism impact forecasts. spending throughout the year. Q2 is historically the The impacts listed below reflect a moderate scenario in second largest in terms of magnitude, however, in which consumer behavior is influenced by uncertainty 2020 the first “stay home” order was put in place of COVID-19 spread. Consumer optimism was during Q2. The second half of the year will be repeatedly balanced by increases in COVID-19 cases. important to the overall measurement of travel impacts.

12 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING • In 2019 in Oregon, international travel was estimated Execute a clear communications to be 10% of annual travel spending statewide. strategy including industry, policy International travel restrictions have greatly impacted the number of international visitors in makers and consumers in order to Oregon. If restrictions continue throughout 2020, the provide the most up to date resources, share of international spending could decline to 6.5%. champion the value of tourism and share compelling Oregon stories Support and engage staff with timely, clear and transparent INDUSTRY COMMUNICATIONS communication and direction Industry website traffic Travel Oregon staff have been working remote to the Q4 maximum extent possible following Governor Brown’s In Q4, we saw a 16% increase in traffic to industry. Executive Order 20-12. Operating within the context of traveloregon.com compared to Q4 in FY 18/19. a dispersed workforce has not been without its share of This increase was due to the COVID-19 toolkit, the challenges – some expected and others unanticipated. COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant Program, Communication through a variety of means has proven webinar events and trainings, and an increase in to be critical for our team. Recognizing the importance industry-facing newsletters from monthly to weekly. of keeping staff informed and aligned, we have This increased cadence drove traffic to resources, implemented several tactics to support and engage staff events and opportunities on industry.traveloregon.com. as well as to provide up-to-date emergency response information regarding COVID-19 and the recent Annual wildfires. These include: Website traffic saw a YOY increase of 8.2%. This • Twice/month all-staff meetings (video conference). increase was attributed to National Plan for Vacation Day in January, the COVID-19 toolkit and the • Daily internal staff updates (via email). Emergency Response Grant Program. - Providing updates on current wildfires, COVID-19, Industry PR partner and program updates. This information is also shared with RDMO partners. Q4 In Q4 there were 79 earned industry-facing media • Weekly operational updates (via email). stories with a circulation sum of 173.1 million and an - Providing operational information updates average story score of 7.23/10. In April and May, most including policies, resources and procedures. coverage was around COVID-19 impacts on the travel industry, including Travel Oregon staff cuts and agency • Bi-weekly staff communication from CEO (via email). changes. Additionally, the results of the small business survey Travel Oregon conducted in partnership with Oregon Small Business Development Center Network and Business Oregon garnered coverage. June was dominated by stories covering recipients of Travel Oregon’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants, including coverage in USA Today.

13 Please see APPENDIX A for highlights of Q4 industry COVID-19 Toolkit media coverage. The COVID-19 Industry Toolkit continues to be updated frequently by the Industry Communications Annual team to provide resources from local, regional, state The Industry Communications team closed out and national partners. The most recent additions to the FY19/20 exceeding both of our goals with 463 stories toolkit include marketing and messaging resources as (goal: 254) and 857.6 million in circulation (goal: 201.6 well as the travel data report, which is updated every million). two weeks.

On August 31 we started a contract with Cision PUBLIC AFFAIRS software services. This software platform will monitor, track and evaluate both earned and non-earned Federal media coverage. Cision will give us a real-time and On Aug. 4, President Trump signed the Great comprehensive understanding of the media landscape American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This is a major and consumer perceptions of Oregon as a destination. piece of legislation for Oregon’s public lands that With this data, we can implement strategies for secures full and permanent funding for the Land and proactive outreach, marketing campaigns, etc. This tool Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million, will be used by both Industry and Consumer PR. annually. In Oregon, LWCF has provided more than $320 million in funding over the past five decades for Please note: This is the last report that Industry areas like the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Communications will share KPIs based on story count, Steens Mountains and the Table Rocks Management circulation and story score. More information will be Area. It also establishes a National Parks and Public shared in the next progress report. Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands like Crater Industry Email Lake National Park and the Oregon Caves National Q4 Monument. Each member of the Oregon delegation, in Like Q3, in Q4 we had a decrease in the number of both the House and Senate, voted in favor of the GAOA. subscribers to the industry-facing newsletter due to There have been multiple attempts to develop several industry contacts experiencing job loss due additional COVID-19 relief bills since the CARES to COVID-19. The open rate for industry newsletters Act, however, negotiations have moved slowly. Travel remained steady at 25%-30%. Oregon has worked closely with US Travel and received support from Congressman DeFazio for the Healthy Annual Travel Promotion Act of 2020, which would be part of a The number of subscribers for FY 19/20 decreased larger COVID-19 relief bill. However, a federal relief bill by 190. This was due to those that opted out or the is unlikely to develop further before the election. contact’s email was no longer active, likely due to job losses from COVID-19. Additionally, the State communications team increased monthly newsletters The Oregon Legislature convened two special sessions to weekly which may have spurred an increase in opt- over the summer – one on June 24 and the second on outs. August 10. Travel Oregon was in discussion with the governor’s office regarding reinstating the state TLT to INDUSTRY.TRAVELOREGON.COM 1.8% for both special sessions. Lifting the sunset and The focus moving into FY20/21 will be ensuring the reinstating the state TLT to 1.8% would have provided website continues to support COVID-19 messaging and critical funds to support economic stabilization and partner support. recovery across Oregon. Travel Oregon worked in close partnership with the Oregon Destination Association Wildfire Toolkit (ODA) and Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association Travel Oregon has updated the Wildfire Industry (ORLA) on a robust “call to action” initiative that was Toolkit to include up-to-date wildfire resources, links activated across the state. Legislators from across the to all RDMO wildfire/travel alert sites, information state heard from the tourism industry regarding the on outdoor recreation sites, and links to Washington importance of reinstating the tax rate. Unfortunately, and California travel alert sites. The goal is to provide even with the great outreach work from tourism industry partners with easy-to-access resources partners and industry members, removing the sunset to update websites and provide communities and on the state TLT, and reinstating the rate to 1.8% was potential visitors with the most up-to-date information. not included on the agenda.

14 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING Travel Oregon also worked closely with the governor’s and Wildfire (ODFW), Oregon State Marine Board office around a potential out-of-state travel quarantine (OSMB), Business Oregon and others to discuss that was up for discussion in late July. With COVID-19 funding opportunities for the office moving forward. cases on the rise, and counties being added to the County Watch List (or in some cases, reverted to Local Baseline phase), “all options” were on the table to Travel Oregon continues to work closely with RDMOs slow the spread of COVID-19. A quarantine didn’t and DMOs to provide policy and government relations materialize, but as a result of these conversations, support. The agency has been involved in positive Travel Oregon decided to postpone the “Welcome to responses to needs for visitor management support on Oregon, Again” consumer marketing campaign and public lands (Crater Lake and North Coast) as well as instead, focus efforts on safe and responsible travel providing data and research requests at the local level. messaging. Built Oregon Partnership Travel Oregon has been participating in multiple statewide coordination committees including the Travel Oregon staff are collaborating with the team following: at Built Oregon as they prepare to launch the Built Marketplace website to support a focus on Oregon’s • Oregon Emergency Coordination Center - The agency BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA+ and rural founders and is a member of Emergency Support Function-18 makers. The seven RDMOs are providing Built with (ESF-18). The agency has primarily provided business contacts and story ideas as the site launches communication resources and messaging for in early October. Travel Oregon’s marketing team will consumers as well as industry partners around both be supporting the marketplace with relevant story the pandemic and wildfires. During wildfire response, content and social media ESF-18 has been focused on working in partnership with Business Oregon, DHS, the Red Cross and ORLA The Built Festival, which Travel Oregon has sponsored on developing lodging property availability lists for in the past, will be held virtually in October. counties under evacuation orders.

• Governor’s Regional Solutions Team/ Economic Continue to assist industry with Response Team Meeting – These meetings convene leveraging new and existing sales partners at a regional level across the state to provide channels to produce bookings updates from federal, state and local agencies around programming in response to COVID-19. Travel VIRTUAL MEETINGS & WEBINARS Oregon participates in the Portland Metro region’s meeting while RDMOs across the state participate in Tobu Top Tour Webinar: Japan, June 25 the other meetings. On July 9, Travel Oregon provided In June, Travel Oregon participated in an in-house an update on the consumer campaign as well as webinar put on by Tobu Top Tour for travel advisors responsible recreation messaging and local business and agents. More than 1,000 agents and advisors support efforts. attended the webinar to learn more about inspiring and selling travel to Oregon in 2021 and beyond. Top • Local/State/Federal Recreation Coordination – Tour is a long-time client of Oregon, each year sending These bi-weekly meetings are coordinated by the students, free independent travelers (FIT), and some state Office of Outdoor Recreation and bring together technical visit groups to our state. They are also the public land managers and agencies from across primary inbound tour operator for the Tokyo 2021 the state to discuss challenges and partnership Olympics and have expressed interest in developing opportunities. These meetings allow Travel Oregon to programs for the World Athletics Championships share “Take Care Out There” messaging with partners Oregon 22. and identify responsive actions, such as targeted responsible recreation messaging to help with visitor Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) management issues at both Crater Lake and North Virtual Marketplace: August 6-8 Coast in August and September. Travel Oregon’s in-market representative attended • Office of Outdoor Recreation – The office is currently the 2020 Japan Association of Travel Agents virtual housed within the Oregon Parks and Recreation marketplace in August. This marketplace allowed Department (OPRD) but has been unfunded due to Travel Oregon to maintain vital sales relationships budget cuts. Travel Oregon in participating in weekly with important tour operator, online travel agency meetings with other OPRD and other public agency (OTA), and wholesale clients in Japan. During the partners, including the Oregon Department of Fish event, Travel Oregon met key Japanese wholesale

15 buyers, including JTB, HIS, NTA, TTT, KNT and more. coach operators have begun to lay the foundation for Meetings with these companies were focused on new transitioning their business model to smaller groups business development and marketing of travel products focused on less crowded destinations. offered for retail sale in spring 2021. Maintaining these business relationships and keeping Oregon top of mind To further facilitate the relationship sales and business in the sales and product channel will produce future development process for our partners, Travel Oregon bookings and aid in a rapid recovery for this critical hosted a debrief meeting via Zoom for all Oregon overseas market. delegates one week after Go West Summit ended. The meeting provided the opportunity to refine follow- Go West Summit: August 30- September 4 up strategies and define positive outcomes for the summit, as well as share best practices and learnings Go West Summit, an annual business-to-business from attending our first virtual business-to-business tradeshow bringing together top international tour tradeshow. Key learnings from Go West Summit will be operators and suppliers from the American West, was applied as Travel Oregon and Oregon partners attend scheduled to be held in Portland, Oregon in March of more virtual tradeshows this fall. 2020. With the onset of COVID-19, the tradeshow was rescheduled to begin in late August and moved to a Delta Air Lines Tokyo and Amsterdam Flights virtual platform. While the event could not be held in Resume: March 2021 Oregon this year, it was successful and continued to put Oregon on the map for future opportunities for tour Delta Air Lines announced service to and from Tokyo- operators around the world. Haneda Airport to Portland International Airport will resume this spring 2021. This five-times weekly, Every year in preparation for the meetings held at Go nonstop air service from Japan will operate seasonally West Summit, Travel Oregon facilitates a delegation from March 28, 2021 to Oct. 30, 2021. Additionally, caucus for all Oregon attendees. This year, the caucus Delta Air Lines announced that they will resume was held via Zoom. More than 30 first-time attendees Amsterdam to Portland service on the same day, March and seasoned Go West Summit veterans from around 28, 2021. This service will be reinstated year-round, the state attended the virtual caucus, allowing partners four times per week. The return in flight service for to meet, discuss strategies and highlights from their Japan and Amsterdam makes Oregon a nonstop or businesses or regions prior to meeting with travel one-stop flight destination for important Asian and buyers. Through Zoom breakout rooms, we were able European markets. to mimic the small group discussions that typically occur during the caucus, giving delegates the time to The Delta Air Lines London – Heathrow and British share what they planned to pitch during their business Airways flights to Portland are on hold until 2022. meetings, network with partners from around the state, Both airlines have expressed commitment to the and answer any questions they might have. Due to the Portland market. Air Canada has resumed service virtual setting, the caucus was held one week prior to from Vancouver four times per week. This will play a the start of Go West appointments, giving delegates vital role for recovery in the tourism industry. Flight extra time to refine sales kits or pitches. schedules are subject to change at any time.

After the caucus, Travel Oregon rolled out a dynamic “what’s new” document to help attending Oregon Execute an effective marketing delegates become aware of inspirational content being campaign reflecting the State of offered by their Oregon tourism industry partners and Oregon Equity Framework in COVID- to provide more opportunities for cross promotion and 19 Response and Recovery that offers business network development. robust cooperative buy-ins for industry During Go West Summit, Travel Oregon met with 45 alignment and impact to boost the travel companies made up of individual and group tour operators, as well as wholesale buyers and online recovery of Oregon’s travel industry travel agencies. Additionally, more than 50 Oregon FALL COVID-19 COMMUNICATIONS delegates took appointments with buyers from around CAMPAIGN the world, making Oregon’s footprint at the show substantial. These appointments took place via one on In July, at the request of the governor’s office, Travel one Zoom video meetings. Buyers attending Go West Oregon paused our recovery advertising campaign Summit 2020 were focused on inspiration for 2021 and “Welcome to Oregon, Again” due to the rise in beyond with a strong emphasis on outdoor adventure COVID-19 cases statewide. In place of this campaign and rural-focused vacations. High-volume motor (and promoting or inspiring travel), we have focused

16 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING our marketing efforts on safe travel and what to expect • Paid proactive outreach: This reaches the Active at different types of businesses and across counties in Adventurer on channels they are on but may not be Oregon. This work will support the tourism economy by searching for travel information. helping travelers have safe trips by following local and - Timing: September-December state guidelines and being prepared. By visitors taking these actions, tourism businesses can remain open and - Paid Platforms: Social media, paid broadcast our outdoor places will be cared for. Key messaging partnership, proactive public relations and content priorities are: partnerships • Disseminate public safety messaging and local - Message: guidelines in collaboration with Oregon Health ~ How to travel safely this fall and winter Authority (OHA), governor’s office, RDMOs, DMOs and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). ~ Why it’s important to follow safety protocols • Influence responsible visitor behavior to promote ~ Stay home now, explore later community health and preservation of public lands. ~ Stay local, support local • Highlight Oregonians’ resiliency in facing this ~ Take Care Out There pandemic, promote a sense of community pride and inspire support of local businesses. - Drives to: traveloregon.com

This is an enhancement of our current work which will • Paid reactive: This reaches Active Adventurers be supported by paid media channels. To date, we’ve on platforms where we know they are looking and been holding funds for the campaign and have not put booking and drives them to travel information and money behind our responsible visitor behavior content. resources on traveloregon.com Travel Oregon’s messaging will have an overarching - Timing: September-December goal – safe travel – utilizing flexible channels like social media rather than mass media broadcast in order - Platforms: Social media, search, OTAs to remain nimble and responsive during COVID-19. - Paid Partner examples: Facebook, Instagram, We will be updating the industry about this work via Twitter, Google, Expedia, Tripadvisor industry newsletters and weekly RDMO calls. - Messaging: We are calling this effort the Fall COVID-19 ~ Travel safely, learn how at traveloregon.com Communications Campaign and all work will be ~ Learn about and book safe hotel options (OTAs) united under the brand Take Care Out There. Travel Oregon can evolve the work to speak to current visitor Tactics: management messaging needs which extend beyond outdoor recreation and speak to the core messaging OTAs: We are partnering with OTAs to drive folks that components: Prepare, Care, Connect. The team is are searching for Oregon to traveloregon.com landing currently defining and developing the communication pages. On these pages, we will provide information pillars and will report on status at the commission about safe travel protocols. Paid partners include meeting in October. Expedia and Tripadvisor. We are partnering with Thrillist to Advertising Custom Content: distribute video and blog content to its audiences in To represent the messaging priorities within our fall Oregon, Northern California and Seattle. Content will paid media campaign, we developed a tactical plan include information about taking safe trips in Oregon. with the objective to raise awareness on how to travel safely in Oregon by positioning Travel Oregon’s owned Search: Throughout COVID-19, paid search has channels as trusted travel resources by: consistently delivered qualified traffic to traveloregon. • Positioning Travel Oregon as the travel experts com with a very efficient buy. Paid search continues offering trusted resources and providing insights on to be important because we can drive consumers to where to find safe travel options in Oregon. trusted and safe resources on traveloregon.com. • Driving to traveloregon.com. Social: Our audience continues to spend more • Collecting leads. time on social media during COVID-19, and our key messages will be translated into content that caters Paid media will be targeted at our Active Adventurer to how our social audiences are consuming content. market with a focus on ages 18-341 . All paid media is Consumers are inundated with messaging around the organized under two targeting structures: do’s and don’ts of COVID-19. Instead of repeating the

1 Our demographic is typically 25-54 and was lowered for this campaign for two reasons: 1. We know that during COVID there are more younger travelers, 2. OHA shared information that the 18-30 age demographic would benefit from further safety information 17 latest restrictions, we will evolve our content to break Content: Traveloregon.com is the primary resource down the messages into easy to understand, engaging to deliver trusted safe travel information. The team content. Social media is a critical touch point for this will continue to update content that speaks to the key work, and we remain nimble with messages and have messages, including the following: great targeting abilities. Paid social media launched on • New editorial content informing visitors about what September 1 with informational articles ahead of Labor to expect at hotels, restaurants, wineries and indoor Day, followed by content that promoted travel safety. attractions, as well as travel safety tips. Social content is centered around four themes: • Updated editorial content bringing COVID-19 information to the forefront by answering frequently 1. Education and Safety asked questions, laying out county phases and - Objectives: awareness, website traffic. reinforcing responsible visitor behavior. Additionally, emphasis will go to top-performing and timely stories - Focal Point: Relay up-to-date information about about at-home activities with virtual experiences COVID-19, business closures and openings, state and/or product and supporting local businesses parks and statewide news. without leaving your home. 2. Outdoor Recreation Broadcast: We are partnering with KATU and - Objectives: awareness, website traffic. Univision to distribute safe travel and responsible - Focal Point: Provide activity and trip ideas focused recreation messages on broadcast statewide, include on outdoor recreation, with tips for social distancing distribution to Latinx markets through Univision. and fire prevention. Public Relations: Due to the ever-changing nature 3. Stay Home Now, Explore Later of COVID-19, we are unable to invite top tier media on a consistent basis. To keep Oregon top-of-mind, - Objective: engagement, website traffic. the consumer PR team will host targeted national and - Focal Point: Lean into the dreaming mindset of regional media and influencers to Oregon via virtual, our social audience to keep Oregon adventures, immersive event experiences. These experiences memories of past trips and future trip-planning top will present some of the state’s best recreational of mind. and culinary activities while showcasing our safety protocols. Prior to the event, each journalist/influencer 4. Stay Local, Support Local will receive a box with materials to make them feel - Objectives: awareness, engagement. like they are in Oregon. We will then have a live event - Focal Point: While businesses may be closed or where media and influencers can tune in live or watch limited, we want to ensure we keep our local business a recording later. These experiences include everything partners top of mind on social media. from how to cook Oregon Dungeness crab to learning how to rope with the cowboys from the Pendleton • New multimedia approaches for social include: Round-Up. Each box will include an “IOU” for a future trip. - A video series that highlights a variety of local businesses with new safety protocols in place. Leads: - Infographics depicting Take Care Out There • Sweepstakes – The proposed fall sweeps is in principles and other messages with youthful, eye- partnership with Oregon-based Yakima for a “Safe catching illustrations. Roadtrips” sweepstakes. The winner will receive a - Repurposed video assets to evoke emotional Yakima roofbox. connections to Oregon and inspire stewardship and • Guides/Fulfillment — To drive guide orders, we safe practices. designed a die-cut “Travel Oregon” sticker that will be - Instagram story quizzes that test fans’ Oregon offered with each guide order. knowledge while reasserting responsible visitor behaviors. - Ads on new platforms: Nextdoor, to tap into a sense of community, and TikTok, to reach younger demographics.

18 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING DIGITAL CONSUMER PLATFORMS Organic search traffic was up 18.8% YOY, indicating a rebound in the organic search. As travelers started Traveloregon.com taking more local trips, organic search traffic remained Q4 the top driver of website traffic to traveloregon.com. 72.7% of June web sessions were driven by organic Q4 traffic to traveloregon.com was down 32.7% search. That was followed by direct (9.4%), paid search compared to the same period last year. Engagement (6.1%) and social (4.4%). trends also fell, with pageviews down 46% and session duration down 5.01%. Despite being down from last Traveloregon.com Platform Updates fiscal year, June marked the first month since February that traffic has rebounded above FY17/18 levels. Q4 focused on the maintenance backlog and ad hoc COVID-19 needs:

Annual • COVID-19 open/call: We worked with the Oregon For FY 19/20, we closed out the year up 6.3% YOY with Wine Board to add information to OTIS listings 4.52 million sessions. Although we did not meet our noting if a business is open. We are also removing goal of 5.3 million sessions, sessions for FY19/20 were points of interest that are permanently closed and still up 6.3% over FY18/19, marking another record- encouraging travelers to call ahead for those on which breaking year for traveloregon.com (data goes back to we do not have specific information. FY13/14).

19 Social Media Q4 Due to the pandemic and the resulting change in strategy, overall social reach was down nearly 51%. Social goals were largely refocused to reinforce the “active crisis” and “new normal” of COVID-19. Messages reflected the public health priorities of the state and supported the overall objective of communicating health and safety messaging and ways for our audience to stay resilient during the crisis. This work included support for several partner campaigns including: Stay Home, Save Lives (governor’s office), #FlattenTheCurveOR (OHA), #DoTheRightThingNW (U.S Forest Service) and #TogetherInTravel (Brand USA).

Q4 Highlights: • Black Lives Matter (BLM): Memorial Day weekend and the murder of George Floyd was a huge inflection point in society writ large. On June 3, we participated in the #BlackoutTuesday social media movement and did not post for a week. This was followed by a post that expressed our stance on social justice and our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. This post generated high engagement on Facebook,

20 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING Instagram and Twitter. Although there were Annual comments in support and appreciation, there were Overall social reach was down 1.5% for FY 19/20. This many who were uncomfortable with the posts. There slight decrease was likely due to continually pivoting was a significant amount of negative and polarized our work to address the pandemic. opinions about the protest as well as our decision to address it. It is noteworthy that while we lost 2,000 We continued to monitor weekly sentiment related to followers based on this post, we also gained 2,500 COVID-19 and used social listening to tailor content to followers. audience emotions. We reviewed charts that displayed the conversation volume for COVID-19 along with The post also called for writers and photographers conversations about social justice issues. of color to work with Travel Oregon and send ideas. Many photographers of color criticized the irony in our decision to use the powerful photo of demonstrators laying down on the Burnside Bridge because it was taken by a photographer who does not identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

The post was even featured in a larger New York Times article criticizing travel brands that were quick to support the BLM movement, but historically “left Black people out” when it came to their marketing materials and staff representation.

The article also featured Travel Oregon’s response with Jaime Eder saying that our intent was to show the “magnitude of protests,” both in urban and rural areas and that we appreciated the feedback and critique from our community because “it takes courage to speak up” and it is truly the only way we “do better in our work.”

• COVID-19 Frustration: Sentiment showed a shift in our audience’s emotions from community support in March to negativity and frustration as the pandemic continued. As a result, our posts about COVID-19 saw an increase in debates and divide between groups who were supporting social distancing measures and those who supported returning to normal lives as soon as possible.

Despite this, they appreciated connecting to Oregon’s landscapes from home through Only Slightly Exaggerated (OSE) coloring pages and our “Oregon Moment of Zen” long-form video posts, both of which were top performing posts for clicks and views.

21 Takeaways from auditing our social content for FY 19/20: • Five seasonal features that took a long-form approach • Facebook provided our largest audience reach (21.4 to storytelling, prompting an emotional connection to million, compared to 16.9 million on Instagram and Oregon. 4.5 million on Twitter), while Instagram had the most • Seven regional trip ideas to support the (postponed) engagement (6.18%, compared to 0.97% for Facebook recovery campaign, highlighting iconic landmarks in and 2.5% on Twitter2). each county with destination details. • For traffic, Facebook was our most valuable platform, • Eight stories that capitalized on 2020 travel trends of providing 419,598 clicks to traveloregon.com (80% RV road trips and supporting local farmers. of all social traffic) compared to 51,968 and 25,595 • Four stories about Oregon’s diverse cultures and clicks, respectively, from Instagram and Twitter. communities to reinforce our brand values and • Overall, our audience appreciated the agency’s pivot mission for a more welcoming state. from focusing on travel inspiration to disseminating • 13 special project stories to support partner requests, public health information. Top-performing posts including seven sponsored stories (with postponed were informational and broke down complicated social media promotion), three Ski Oregon articles, a public information into digestible formats. Examples story about National Travel and Tourism Week and include the posts about outdoor recreation dos/don’ts another for the new Oregon Vine Perks program. and county re-openings. • The combination of a pandemic, social justice crisis Content highlights: and a presidential election cycle in a polarized society • COVID-19 content included information articles has made social media a tinderbox for emotions. about recreation sites, face coverings, reopening These emotions are bound to increase after Labor phases, mental wellness and FAQs. Additionally, Day as election season gets into high gear and will stories highlighted the positive work of Oregon impact us in the form of increased media costs, businesses (based on form submissions), distilleries lower engagement and potentially increased need for and independent theaters. community management. • Travel Oregon published an article in support of Black Lives Matter, backed by updated content about PUBLISHING & CONTENT Black-owned businesses and diversity in winemaking Q4 Content update that included licensing a documentary, as well as new The content team produced, published and distributed assignments to BIPOC content creators. 53 stories in Q4. The lineup included: • Summer seasonal features included a tribute to • 12 articles to support the state’s COVID-19 messaging, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for its 20th providing critical safety information and anecdotes anniversary, a hiker’s guide to the remote Owyhee about Oregon’s resiliency during a pandemic. Canyonlands, round-up of Oregon’s lushest gardens, and a family trip to the Southern Oregon Coast’s • 20 e-newsletter stories designed to keep Oregon Lakeside. top of mind with content related to supporting local businesses and enjoying the state safely and/or remotely.

2 Note – The engagement goals for our platforms were: Facebook at 0.25%, 22 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING Instagram at 6% and Twitter at 3% CONSUMER COMMUNICATIONS Annual Q4 Our goals for FY19/20 were 182 stories and circulation of 1 billion. We ended with 135 stories (72% of our goal) In Q4 19/20 we garnered 24 stories (a mix of national and overall circulation of 899 million (90% of our annual and regional stories) with a circulation of 76 million goal) and an average score of 8.3/10. In comparison, FY and an average story score of 8.4/10. The National 18/19 garnered 188 consumer stories with a circulation Travel and Tourism Week five-day travel series of 1.1 billion and average story score of 8.29. was a highlight of this quarter. It was the first time we secured a five-day earned media broadcast. We saw lower story and circulation numbers this We established a new relationship with KOIN and year due to COVID-19. Much like the rest of the empowered/supported our regions which were tourism industry, travel media were swiftly impacted featured in interviews for the segments. For national by the pandemic. Editors and writers were laid off coverage, we had stories featured in Forbes, U.S. News or furloughed, freelance opportunities froze, inflight & World Report and Men’s Journal. magazines ceased publication, food media stopped accepting travel-related pitches, research and fam In comparison Q4 18/19 garnered 33 stories, a trips were cancelled, and editorial shifted to COVID- circulation of 375.9 million and average story score 19-related stories with many major metro newspapers of 8.2. only considering car trips and in-state travel stories (source: Maxwell’s Earned Media Pandemic Report April 2020).

23 VISITOR LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT (VLM) Annual The VLM team launched a project that features In FY19/20, there were 42,181 individual guide personalized lodging property recommendations on orders, a 15.9% decrease compared to FY 18/19. Due to the “Places to Stay” landing page on traveloregon. COVID-19 travel restrictions and limitations on what com. This was executed using our email program and Travel Oregon could promote, we ended the year 10,865 Marketo’s Content AI tools that track a visitor’s data orders short of the fiscal year goal of 53,046 total guide points and interactions across traveloregon.com. It orders. then showcases lodging properties it thinks the visitor will be most interested in. The program is live on Email traveloregon.com but is still in beta testing. We worked Q4 to ensure all regions were represented along with a range of lodging properties (e.g., resorts, B&Bs, hotels, While Q4 subscriber acquisition was down YOY, the etc.) that were vetted with ORLA. After testing, we will final quarter of the fiscal brought in enough subscribers determine how to roll this program out on a larger scale. to keep us above our annual goal. Our number of new subscribers dropped dramatically YOY for all three We have also seen great success with our email lists, with our outdoor list taking the biggest hit at -52% welcome series, which is a series of emails sent upon YOY. One key factor to keeping us above our annual subscribing to any of our newsletters. The combined goal was that our new email preference center helped open rate for all three emails in the welcome series minimize unsubscribes. Each list saw double digit averaged an astonishing 49% with a clickthrough rate drops in the number of unsubscribes over the quarter. of 41%. For comparison, our monthly newsletters average an open rate of 29% and a clickthrough rate of Due to COVID-19, we were unable to release regular 18%. These were the strongest results for a welcome inspirational travel content and instead showcased series that our VLM consultant had ever seen. The email content related to staying home and supporting local welcome series also generated 421 newsletter subscrip- businesses remotely. All three lists had positive open tions and 174 guide orders since launching in April. rates YOY with the general list leading at +23%. For click through rate (CTR), the general and outdoor Fulfillment lists were down 22% YOY, with CTRs of 13.3% and 20%, respectively. We attribute this drop to the shift Q4 to COVID-19 related content. However, our culinary A total of 12,553 individual guide orders were received list had a CTR of 18.5% which was up 8.8% YOY due in Q4, representing a 31.5% decrease YOY. This drop to interest in supporting local restaurants during the was a direct result of COVID-19. pandemic.

24 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING Annual Annual Total list size at year end was 121,780, up 3.7% from OTIS continued to gain traction, onboarding new users the start of the year. We achieved our annual goal by and organizations as well as seeking opportunities to surpassing 121,031 subscribers. streamline content management.

Our niche lists saw strong subscriptions with the OTIS Trainings & Users culinary list showing an amazing 67% increase YOY. • Total trained: 78 Subscriptions YOY for the general list fell by 20%. All three lists showed fewer unsubscribes YOY. • Total new users: 52 (Representing 35 organizations) • Total new application programing interface (API) Annual open rates for each list saw positive results integrations: 3 with the general showing an outstanding 44% increase YOY. Our CTR for each list fell YOY with the outdoor A primary goal of OTIS is to streamline listing list displaying the sharpest decline at -20% YOY. management efforts of DMOs and help them share their content widely. Last year three new partners OREGON TOURISM INFORMATION SYSTEM decided to use the OTIS API to power listings on their (OTIS) websites, which you can see here: Q4 focused on upgrading the entire OTIS platform • GoTillamook.com to a new version of JavaScript, as the previous one became obsolete. This significant development effort • TasteNewberg.com launched in April. There are still two features actively • WillametteWaterTrail.org being upgraded, and the team expects this work to be complete in Q1 20/21. The team continued to look for opportunities to support partners in COVID-19 recovery. In addition The team partnered with the Oregon Wine Board to to incorporating COVID-19 related fields from the leverage COVID-19 data it was capturing from wineries Oregon Wine Board, the team is researching Google My and carried it over to OTIS. Additionally, OTIS now Business and looking for ways to partner. supports counties, and users can generate reports by county. The team has also been helping partners answer questions related to content management and how they can use OTIS to power listings on their website, most notably: Tillamook Chamber of Commerce, Visit Newberg, Willamette Riverkeepers (Willamette River Water Trail), Oregon Coast Visitors Association and Visit Hood River.

OTIS Trainings & Users • Total trained: 9 • Total new users: 6

OTIS Q4 Usage Region Created Updated Deleted Listings Listings Listings Central Oregon 7 45 18 Eastern Oregon 18 76 40 Mt. Hood & Columbia River 4 397 c67 Gorge Oregon Coast 34 963 137 Portland Region 189 442 422 Southern Oregon 76 526 32 Willamette Valley 222 2,356 794 Totals for Q4 550 4,805 1,510

3 Google My Business is a free tool offered by Google which enables businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google’s ecosystem (e.g. Google Maps, Google search results, etc.). 25 WELCOME CENTERS Federal, state and local guidance related to operating public facilities continued to evolve, and the need to Q4 streamline this information for the industry led to Q4 focused on the planning, preparing and executing the development of the Guidelines for Visitor Center safe welcome center openings, where and when Operations in Response to COVID-19 document posted feasible, in coordination with our partners in in the Travel Oregon COVID-19 Toolkit. government and tourism. The Seaside, Ashland and PDX welcome centers have reopened since their Annual closures at the start of the pandemic, while all other Oregon Welcome Center total visitors for FY were centers remain closed until further notice: Boardman, down 23.6% compared to 2019 (approximately 57,000 Brookings, Klamath Falls, Ontario and Oregon City. visitors), which was anticipated as the welcome The centers serve an important role to the tourism centers closed at the beginning of Q3. Prior to this, the industry during this unprecedented time by providing typical shoulder months of October-February 2020 visitor education and management. The in-person trended higher than FY18/19. A positive, emerging engagement serves as a highly impactful method of aspect of the Q4 circumstances became the increased providing and clarifying public health precautions, communications and alignment amongst visitor restrictions and guidance as people enter or travel services front liners across multiple agencies, including around the state. the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon Department of Forestry For the safety of our staff and visitors, the following (ODF), ODFW and DMOs. COVID-19 prevention measures were implemented at the open centers: Research • Reduced operating hours to limit staff’s daily public To better understand the impact our welcome centers exposure while still accommodating peak travel have on visitor spending, we conducted a Travel Oregon times. Welcome Center visitor spending report. This report utilized data gathered digitally at our welcome centers • Enhanced the cleaning and disinfection procedures. and the annual visitor spending estimates by Dean • Posted all required OHA/CDC signage (face covering Runyan. The findings revealed that travelers who stop requirement, occupancy, COVID-19 prevention, etc.). at welcome centers spend 68% more on their entire • Limited the number of visitors allowed inside the trip in the state than visitors who do not stop in. This center at the same time. equates to an average spend of $492 per trip vs. $293 per trip. The full report will be available on industry. • Installed sneeze guards at reception desks. traveloregon.com by the end of September. • Provided PPE for staff and disposable face masks for guests who need face coverings. • Provided face shields that can be disinfected and reused to loan to guests or staff . • Implemented one-way entrances and exits and increased the air exchange in the building. • Refreshed security practices related to the enforcement of mask wearing.

26 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING MURALS Travel Oregon launched the Oregon Mural Trail in 2018 with seven statewide murals with art from the OSE campaign. These murals are in communities that successfully completed a Rural Tourism Studio, are nearby a regional media outlet and are contextually relevant to the creative.

For year two of the project, we once again partnered with Forrest For the Trees NW (FFTTNW) to offer an opportunity for regions to buy into the Oregon Mural Trail or create a standalone mural: • Oregon Mural Trail (in OSE campaign style): Travel Oregon contributed 50% to a mural in a city chosen by To align with the Governor Brown’s request to not the participating region. These murals will be added promote travel within Oregon at this time due to to the Oregon Mural Trail and promoted by Travel COVID-19, we will not feature this campaign on our Oregon. owned, earned and paid channels. However, we are supporting this campaign as a sponsor, and we have a - Participating regions: Oregon Coast – Gold Beach; thumbnail of Sahalie Falls in the lead-off spot within Eastern – Pendleton (currently in progress). the “Where to Go” section on the campaign homepage. • Standalone Mural: If regional partners wanted Thumbnail clicks are directed to traveloregon.com to support a mural in their region not in the OSE where we can provide safe and responsible travel style, Travel Oregon facilitated the contract with messaging. regions responsible for 100% of the cost. FFTTNW contracted with local artists in-region and worked with local community members for the artistic Deploy Regional Cooperative outputs. Tourism Program and Competitive - Participating region: Central – Madras and two in Grant program funding to Warm Springs. ensure industry resiliency and expedite economic recovery U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION CAMPAIGN U.S. Travel Association launched its “Let’s Go There” COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM campaign on September 8. The campaign is designed Grant Awards Making a Difference to inspire people to begin making travel plans when they are ready and will have three advertising pulses, Several quotes received in the last couple of months avoiding election and holiday windows. from grant awardees are listed below that show the value of the grants program. The campaign will be live on national cable networks including CMT, Cooking Channel, ESPN, and National COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant: Geographic Channel, with two spots aired on ESPN’s “The grant award was a big help to run my business Monday Night Football on September 14. The campaign during the shutdown. We were able to pay employees will also be seen on online streaming platforms on time, and pay our rent and utilities bills without (YouTube and Hulu), heard on the iHeartMedia radio any interruption.” – Columbia Inn network, and displayed online as digital display ads.

27 “These funds allowed the VCB to maintain our full as possible in making sure awardees are supported staff of 3 during this very difficult situation until in seeing these projects through to a successful such time as we could begin seeing TLT funds begin completion. to be remitted to our funding sources from our hotel partners. Without these funds, we were going to have REGIONAL COOPERATIVE TOURISM to reduce one of our full-time employees to part-time PROGRAM or lay her off completely. This funding gave us the Regional Plans boost we needed to be able to maintain our staff and continue to work on our marketing efforts.” – Coos RDMOs have developed new plans for COVID-19 Bay-North Bend VCB response strategies in accordance to the newly created Emergency and Disaster Response Guidelines. Competitive Small Grant: Plans are more fluid than they have been in the past, as “This is a great program … please keep making these situations on the ground are constantly changing, and funds available to small communities to perform rules, and government orders are affecting how RDMOs projects of this type. It is no exaggeration to say invest their programming dollars. To that extent, the that we could not have done this project, which had RCTP team at Travel Oregon is maintaining up-to- a major positive impact on the community, without date dashboards of RCTP programming for all seven your funds.” - City of Cascade Locks (Gorge Hub) regions. The newly updated dashboards can be found here: https://industry.traveloregon.com/RCTP. “The Competitive Small Grants Program allows smaller organizations to make improvements that benefit both the organization and community.” – Port Travel Oregon teams and RDMOs of Columbia County (Bayfront RV and Marina Park) are continuing to meet on a regular Competitive Medium Grant: basis to determine the best response “Securing these funds signaled to the community and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Training our local government that this is a regional asset, not just a local one. Furthermore, securing these RDMOs have begun to undertake a five-part DEI funds towards the end of the campaign was vital in training. The training is being conducted over video providing the campaign the momentum and leverage conference by Michele Leedom of Clinton Street it needed to bring it to completion.” – Portland Parks Consulting. The training will explore and address Foundation (Barbara Walker Crossing) topics of systemic racism and how to effectively build a more inclusive and diverse regional tourism economy. Grants Moving Forward Trainings are scheduled to conclude in December 2020. Travel Oregon has postponed its Competitive Small Evolve design and delivery of educational and Grants Program (scheduled to open in August). This engagement opportunities to support tourism postponement allows Travel Oregon to evaluate how businesses, industry stakeholders and community its Competitive Grants Program and the Oregon Wine leaders in order to expedite economic recovery Country License Plates Matching Grants Program can best support Oregon’s travel and tourism businesses OREGON TOURISM STUDIOS and organizations in their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent wildfires. Travel Oregon will use Willamette River Recreation Studio feedback from regional partners as well as the industry The Willamette River Recreation Studio Steering stakeholder survey and analysis of gaps in additional Committee, comprised of around 20 organizational state and federal support, to inform how the guidelines leaders from six counties adjacent to the Willamette will be crafted for a potential late fall grant cycle. waterway, have convened monthly throughout the summer despite the pause on in-person tourism studio COVID-19 Impacts on Awarded Grants training. Travel Oregon has awarded timeline extensions or The steering committee, with support from Travel is in the process of evaluating extension requests for Oregon and C2Recreation Consulting, has prioritized approximately a quarter of its 2019-2020 Competitive a set of short-term priority strategies that will improve Small Grant awardees. The 30 awarded projects are the river recreation experience for the remainder of scheduled to be complete by Oct. 12. The majority the 2020 season. Visitation and use of the river grew remain on-track for completion, but some projects to unusually high levels over the summer as river have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 recreation can offer a safe experience during the pandemic. Travel Oregon is working to be as flexible

28 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING pandemic. Given capacity and existing funding, the first Small Business Marketing Series three bolded strategies will be the steering committee’s Travel Oregon is developing and hosting a series of primary focus over the next few months. Three action lunchtime trainings on a variety of marketing topics teams have formed and are supported through the targeted at helping small and medium-size tourism convening of Willamette Valley Visitors Association businesses navigate the marketing challenges (WVVA) staff, Tori Middelstadt and their University of presented by COVID-19. The series will run from Sept. Oregon Resource Assistance for Rural Environment’s 10-Oct. 15, with potential additional modules added placement, Katie McFall. after that. Vendors who are experts in each topic area Priority strategies include: will join Travel Oregon staff as presenters for every module. 1. Develop online visitor educational content. 2. Streamline online cross-site navigation to allow 2020 Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit: people to quickly and easily find information on Sept. 28-Oct. 19 routes, itineraries, tourism offerings, and on- and off- On August 27, registration for the 2020 Oregon Outdoor water safety. Recreation Summit opened. The 2020 summit is an 3. Develop new online visitor content on Willamette entirely virtual experience offering dynamic,weekly Water Trail to connect the river to communities and programming including plenary sessions, webinars, businesses to drive economic impact. community forums and outdoor-themed film nights. Hosted by the Oregon Office of Outdoor Recreation, 4. Place portable toilets and/or increase service Travel Oregon and the Oregon Trails Coalition, the intervals in gap areas or where high use Impacts 2020 summit will bring together two of Oregon’s capacity. premier outdoor recreation events: the Oregon Outdoor 5. Connect existing businesses to create itineraries for Recreation Summit and Oregon Trails Summit. The physically distant water activities. virtual format will offer unprecedented access and 6. Create and deploy standardized COVID-19-related connection opportunities for all of Oregon’s outdoor messaging across water recreation agencies and recreation communities and sectors. View the full agenda. organizations. 7. Update Oregon Tourism Information System (OTIS) Support community and business river listings to increase the ease in which visitors leaders, key organization and public can find tourism services. agencies across Oregon with the PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS development and deployment of Tour Operator, Guide and Outfitters Online responsible visitor management Forum Series strategies following the State Travel Oregon developed and hosted the Tour Operator, of Oregon Equity Framework in Guide and Outfitter (TOGO) Online Forum Series COVID-19 Response and Recovery that are scheduled to conclude in October. The series included four virtual webinars that supported Oregon’s OREGON OUTDOOR RECREATION NETWORK tour operator, guide and outfitter businesses as they In June and July, Travel Oregon convened the core navigated COVID-19 during their peak summer season. team to assess current status and set direction for the Each forum began with an educational presentation future of the Oregon Outdoor Recreation Network. The from a content expert, included two breakout rooms core team currently consists of: for attendees to engage with each other, and concluded with a group discussion. • Aaron Curtis, Section Chief for Social Sciences for the Oregon/Washington Office, BLM The series intended to provide technical guidance to • Kristin Dahl, VP of Destination Development, Travel support businesses safely operating during COVID-19; Oregon provide a space for businesses to share and hear from industry peers; and encourage networking to support a • Lee Davis, Executive Director of the Outdoor more collaborative industry in Oregon. All four forums Economy Initiative at Oregon State University are recorded and are available to watch on Travel • Priscilla Macy, Network Coordinator, Oregon Oregon’s Virtual Training, Education & Assistance Outdoor Coalition YouTube playlist. • Michelle Mitchell, Assistant Director for Recreation, Wild + Scenic Rivers, Heritage and Trails for the Pacific Northwest Region, USFS

29 • Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, Director, Oregon Office of Originally, Travel Oregon and the USFS had planned Outdoor Recreation to release our first investments in spring of 2021, • Jon Tullis, Director of Public Affairs, Timberline Lodge but with COVID-19 we pivoted to support groups to “reopen the outdoors” and support trail stewardship Over the course of two strategy sessions, the core team and sustainability in this year of unprecedented use. confirmed that the purpose of the Oregon Outdoor We responded by opening the funding through two Recreation Network is ensuring access to world class pathways: outdoor recreation experiences for everyone – and that 1. Statewide investments – Travel Oregon has they believe the network is important to Oregon and collaborated with key statewide trail organizations should be invested in and coordinated appropriately. including the Oregon Trails Coalition, Trailkeepers of Oregon and Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition. The The strategy sessions set into motion a regular cadence total estimated investment is $49,000 to: for core team meetings, determined that convening active partners in the near future is important in order • Purchase of tools that will support trail stewardship to coordinate priority activities (meeting scheduled for groups to mobilize during COVID-19 with about November 2020), and identified the need for a position $28,000 going to over 20 trail organizations. paper that outlines both the importance of and need for • Develop a Trail Ambassadors COVID-19 training both the OORN and the Office of Outdoor Recreation protocol (which will include a video with Spanish (OREC). The core team recognized the important work subtitles). of the Oregon Outdoor Coalition that has been charged by the governor’s office with convening a multi-agency • Develop a volunteer training baseline for COVID-19 work group to redefine the purpose of and goals for volunteering (which will include a video with Spanish OREC to determine a funding strategy and long-term subtitles). home for the office. It was recognized by the core team 2. Regional Investments – Travel Oregon engaged members that this work will be impactful and the the regions to support them in utilizing the Oregon future of both of these efforts will inform and shape one Trail Fund reimbursement process for projects that another. could be implemented over a six to twelve-month timeframe. Six RDMOs will use a portion of their OREGON TRAILS FUND RCTP funding to complete Oregon Trails Fund- Statewide and Regional Projects eligible projects in their region. The total estimated investment in projects is $262,000. In late 2019, Travel Oregon and the USFS collaborated to finalize a Challenge Cost Share Agreement (CCSA) PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AREAS OF that created the Oregon Trails Fund with the vision STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE to catalyze strategic investment in Oregon’s 18,000- mile trail system to Travel Oregon has been working on templated provide world-class development projects to help communities better experiences for showcase their region’s visitor experiences and develop present and future content to leverage Travel Oregon’s marketing and generations. As a sales channels. Some templated projects have been in first step in this development with communities prior to the COVID-19 partnership, Travel pandemic and are now being finalized. The completed Oregon developed projects below have potential to offer safe visitor a MOU with the experiences that take place in outdoor spaces and USFS to outline the allow for physical distancing. Though Travel Oregon big-picture vision of is not currently promoting visitation, it is important to the fund. The CCSA report on the finalization of these projects that may be provides $431,650 of promoted once it is safe to do so. funding that Travel Oregon can access via reimbursement after making Outdoor Recreation Map Templates direct investments in trail-specific work on national The Outdoor Recreation Map project is designed forestlands such as trail group capacity building, to create a toolkit and roadmap that will allow trail planning, trail design and development, signage, communities to create their own version of a mapguide volunteer events and more. Operationally, Travel to promote key outdoor recreation experiences. The Oregon can access these funds as a 45% match for our idea is that communities will be able to customize a investments, thus for every dollar we spend on eligible mapguide based on geography and outdoor recreation projects we receive $.45 back. modalities included, while utilizing common elements and best practices provided by Travel Oregon. Over

30 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING time, this will allow for a common look, feel and Additionally, a network manager position for the quality among maps created in different regions of the NCTMN is being created in collaboration with the state, while still allowing regions or communities to Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA). The implement their own branding. network manager role will serve to create and cultivate high-quality relationships and support the mission Travel Oregon has been working with contractor and objectives of OCVA and the NCTMN. The network Limberlost Co. (Gabe Tiller) to develop the Outdoor manager will assist tourism organizations, industry Recreation Map toolkit and related process guidance. stakeholders and network participants to increase the We have been working with two pilot communities economic, social and environmental benefits of tourism that have graduated from the Oregon Tourism Studio in the region. The funding for this role comes from the Lake County and East Lane County. The Lake County NCTMN, OCVA and Travel Oregon. The expected hire project was initiated in early February and was sent to date is around mid-October. the printer in early September. Their map is focused on the entire county and will be a year-round resource Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance for most outdoor recreation modalities. The East Lane The Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance (CGTA) County project has a narrower focus, highlighting road convened the quarterly network meeting on Sept. 9 biking routes in the eastern half of the county. The for tourism stakeholders throughout the Columbia E. Lane County project kicked off in mid-April, and River Gorge region. This network meeting focused on map development is taking place with the completion COVID-19-related best practices from destinations in expected in early 2021. the Southern Hemisphere, strategies for safe off-season visitation, winter itinerary development and visitor Great Oaks Food Trail communications. In August, Travel Oregon worked with the Great Oaks Food Trail Action Team to successfully launch the Network leadership, along with the Hood-Gorge Great Oaks Food Trail – becoming the seventh trail RDMO have been heavily focused on regional in the Oregon Food Trails program. The trail features messaging development through Ready, Set, GOrge. the thematic elements of deep roots, bold artisans and These resources for communities, businesses and open-air adventures, represented by 43 agricultural and organizations have been refined for greater clarity culinary businesses in the greater Polk County area. In around responsible visitation during COVID-19. addition to the printed brochure, Travel Oregon created a companion page on traveloregon.com for the Great During times of disaster, the CGTA network is playing Oaks Food Trail. a catalytic, essential role by providing continuous leadership to implement solutions in the time of crisis Great Umpqua Food Trail 2020 Update as well as capacity for convening – here is one quote addressing the impact from Stan Hinatsu, Columbia In July, Travel Oregon worked with Experience River Gorge National Scenic Area Recreation Staff Roseburg and Travel Southern Oregon to launch Officer, USFS: the updated version of the Great Umpqua Food Trail. The trail originally launched in 2018 and now includes 45 businesses along the I-5 corridor and surrounding areas from Elkton to Canyonville. In addition to the new printed brochure, Travel Oregon updated the companion page on traveloregon.com and Experience Roseburg built a new website for the trail at greatumpquafoodtrail.com.

DESTINATION-BASED NETWORKS North Coast Tourism Management Network The core team of the North Coast Tourism Management Network (NCTMN), inclusive of most DMOs on the North Coast as well as the RDMO and industry representatives, has developed a set of visitor behavior messages to address challenges exacerbated by COVID-19. These recommended messages focused on complying with public health orders, packing out trash, being aware of park operations and amenity closures, parking and general responsible recreation.

31 “CGTA is a vital network for land managers in the visitors of COVID-19 safety guidelines, and answer CRGNSA. It provides the opportunity to develop shared questions from visitors (and locals). understanding about public land management and issues we deal with. Just as important it is essential Brochure and traveloregon.com Article – for us to understand our interrelationship with the Newberry Country tourism economy in the Gorge. As a network we can This Rural Tourism Studio action team finalized have a lasting impact on supporting Gorge economies their Newberry Country Trail brochure and map while protecting and enhancing the scenic, natural, project with the support of Central Oregon Visitors cultural and recreational resources in the Columbia Association (COVA) – see a portion of the brochure River Gorge National Scenic Area.” pictured below. Additionally, Newberry Country used Oregon Tourism Studio grant dollars to develop a Your Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network Story Everywhere article with MEDIAmerica that will The Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network be shared on traveloregon.com once it’s appropriate to (OSCRTN) hired an additional staff member shared inspire visitation again. with Travel Southern Oregon Coast to provide support and capacity to convene, manage projects, provide communications, and support the growing network. One of the primary focuses of this network is on aligning messaging and communications around COVID-19 resources that support small businesses. This includes curation of partner messaging and proactive discussions with partners around available resources and distribution strategies. Engagement with the network is consistently high and the network is proving themselves to be an essential resource for small businesses and communities alike in Coos, Curry and coastal Douglas counties. River Ambassadors – Clackamas River The most recent network meeting brought in Alex We Love Clean Rivers (WLCR), in partnership with Campbell from Regional Solutions as the primary the Oregon State Marine Board, hosted their first presenter to discuss the rapidly changing landscape River Ambassador webinar training. This training around COVID-19 regulations that businesses included tactical communication and existing safety and organizations must be aware of. The network and stewardship programs. WLCR has created a meeting also included highlights of COVID-19 private resource page with media toolkit documents, emergency business grants, updates from community training materials, maps and tutorials to support organizations around needs and opportunities, new the training and successful implementation of river online communication platforms, and resources/tools recreation communication to recreationalists in- to utilize in reopening and recovery. person and online. Beginning in July, during peak weekend hours, an ambassador was stationed at each OREGON TOURISM STUDIO ACTION TEAM river access site for McIver, Barton and Carver. The PROGRESS action team primed the ambassadors to be “fluid and Beach and Trailhead Ambassadors – North Coast flexible” with the changing situations around their The Beach and Trailhead Ambassador Program for the own safety, COVID-19, and the potential of expanding North Coast operated all summer at Oswald West State opportunities as needed (e.g., additional shifts on busy Park and Cape Kiwanda as well as Rockaway Beach on Fridays). July 4th weekend. Volunteer coordinator, Kyla Sjogren, The Hood-Gorge region and Clackamas County worked on community engagement, staffed on-site have invested funds to further support the River booths and regularly shared program information with Ambassador volunteer coordinator. As such, the action the community. COVID-19 has made it difficult to team has decided to repurpose their Oregon Tourism recruit volunteers, as most who have time to volunteer Studio grant funds to offer honorariums for BIPOC are in the “at-risk” age group. In partnership with and/or low-income volunteer river ambassadors. The OCVA, Kyla coordinated with regional partners to goal of the honorariums is to acknowledge and respond expand the reach of trailhead ambassador information to the history of racial discrimination in the outdoors to ensure collaboration, buy-in and alignment. The by compensating those whose voices that have been program is designed to share stewardship messaging, excluded and undervalued. disperse crowds to less-congested beaches, inform

32 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING CAPACITY BUILDING IN OREGON TOURISM Renew our commitment and evolve STUDIO REGIONS agency-wide priorities to advance Resource Assistance for Rural Environments diversity, equity and inclusion (RARE) throughout Oregon’s tourism industry The next cohort of RARE placements have been selected and started at their new organizations in early DEI TRAINING September. This year, there will be four placements To support this strategy, Travel Oregon has established focused exclusively on tourism development and immediate priority activities, including: management: 1. Workplace learning, planning and culture 1. Josias Escobedo will continue into an additional — Committing to continually educate ourselves, term with Travel Southern Oregon. Josias’s projects advancing our workplace culture and long-range center around recreation development and agritourism planning to support systemic change. development with a focus on the Rogue Valley and Great Umpqua Food Trails. 2. Supplier diversity — Prioritizing opportunities to use BIPOC-owned businesses/organizations, from 2. Katie McFall will continue into a second year internal contracting and procurement, to consumer- with WVVA. Katie’s projects focus on recreation facing channels. and agritourism as well. She is managing the action teams for the Willamette River Recreation Studio, 3. Industry/community engagement — Working with supporting cycling efforts, and aligning efforts around regional tourism organizations and strategic partners the development of three Oregon Food Trails within the to invite and amplify diverse voices and to engage the region. tourism community in awareness-building and best practices 3. Kate Harbour will be joining Eastern Oregon Visitors Association (EOVA). Kate will be focusing on creating 4. Consumer/brand voice and image — Expanding an inventory of regional tourism assets, convening our network of BIPOC content contributors to enhance stakeholder groups from niche development areas like robust storytelling and images via marketing platforms. recreation and agritourism, and supporting Executive Director, Alana Garner Carollo, in organizational Travel Oregon has retained equity and destination capacity. planning services, Kennedy-Hill Strategies, to provide general counsel on activities listed above, with a 4. Aliza McHugh is the newest addition to the Columbia focus on “learning” and “planning.” Additionally, Gorge Tourism Alliance. Aliza’s projects include action an internal DEI Taskforce comprised of 10 staff has team project management of the East Gorge Food Trail, been established to provide an inclusive, staff-driven Visit Local & Spread the Love campaign, Lewis & Clark approach to the “planning” activity. The DEI Taskforce Geotourism initiative, front line staff training, and will be meeting over the course of late 2020 and early small business recovery and resource support. 2021 and will be tasked with making recommendations to the Executive Team for agency-wide DEI goals and More placements beyond those listed above have metrics for the next Travel Oregon Strategic Plan. an element of tourism and business recovery to their work plans this year. For instance, Discover In addition, we have contracted with Serilda Summer- Klamath RARE placement, Lydia Ivanovic will be McGee’s HR firm,Workplace Change (WPC), to transition from Southern Oregon to the North Coast better understand our culture needs, challenges and to support Columbia Pacific Economic Development to provide recommendations for next steps. Travel District in a position focused on the Port of Astoria Oregon’s “Culture Summit” last November featured as well as supporting the North Coast’s food systems several powerful sessions with Serilda focused on work including the North Coast Food Trail. The agency values and leadership/empowerment of all rural economic development districts also received employees. RARE placements – there will be some alignment opportunities to support these placements in getting Inclusion and Equity Webinar tourism, business and economic development On July 22, Travel Oregon, in partnership with ORLA, resources into more communities around the state. hosted a webinar to better understand how the tourism industry can make an impact through strategic partnerships. The panel was originally scheduled

4  Note – this program will be on hold for the rest of 2020/21 after this last grant; this gives us a chance to reassess the program and measure the impact of the past grants. 33 for the (postponed) Travel Oregon Rural Tourism Conference in April and content was repurposed for the webinar. Panelists shared their stories about how they have created beneficial change for themselves, their communities, and why these initiatives have become a business imperative for those looking for long-term sustainable growth. More than 200 stakeholders attended the webinar; live feed questions were received via Zoom and answered by the panel. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.

PUBLISHING AND CONTENT Ensuring our work tells the story of all Oregonians and that all who travel the state can enjoy their journey and feel welcome is critically important. We have made a lot of progress over the past few years. Consider: • In social media, partnerships with BIPOC and/or LGBTQ influencers represented 34% and 50% of all efforts in 2018 and 2019, respectively. • We continued to actively engage and seek out writers and reporters of diverse backgrounds for stories we publish. In 2019, 28% of writers identified as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ. • Oregon is a large and diverse state, and we remain committed to ensuring that our work honestly shares the stories of all Oregonians, especially those whose stories remain lesser known. This effort drives the breadth of the content we create and includes stories about Oregon’s Black community, Latin heritage, Jewish heritage and the impact of the Oregon Trail on indigenous people. • Through our ongoing partnership with the Oregon Film Office, we have sponsored the creation of short films by BIPOC creators includingOur Trails Too and Pedal Though. However, a lot more work remains to be done to fully acknowledge historical prejudices and systemic racism. In FY 20/21, our content priorities to support equity will include: • Broadening the base of contributors and influencers creating content for us, with a specific focus of broadening BIPOC representation. • Working with the MIVS team to create DEI goals for content creators, content produced and photography. • Funding one more #OregonMade film grant under the theme “Oregon Outdoors are for Everyone4.”

4 Note – this program will be on hold for the rest of 2020/21 after this last grant; this gives us a chance to reassess the program and measure the impact of the past grants.

34 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING 35 APPENDIX

Earned Media Coverage Highlights, Consumer and Industry

CONSUMER Men’s Journal, “Welcome to the Wonderful World of #Bikfishing” An article about the rise of bike fishing mentions past work with Travel Oregon’s Scenic Bikeway Project.

KOIN, “National Travel Week goes virtual amid pandemic”- A broadcast segment about how the travel industry has come to a near standstill amid the coronavirus pandemic during National Travel and Tourism Week. Allison Keeney is featured.

KOIN, “Your Next Adventure: Central Oregon”- An article highlighting future travel in Central Oregon for National Travel and Tourism Week. Julia Theisen is featured.

KOIN, “Your Next Adventure: Southern Oregon”- An article highlighting future travel in Southern Oregon for National Travel and Tourism Week. Brad Niva is featured.

KOIN, “Your Next Adventure: Eastern Oregon”- An article highlighting future travel in Eastern Oregon for National Travel and Tourism Week. Allana Carollo is featured.

KOIN, “Your next adventure: Columbia River Gorge”- An article highlighting future travel in Mt. Hood / Columbia River Gorge for National Travel and Tourism Week. Lizzie Keenan is featured.

FORBES, “Eight Gourmet Provisions To Elevate Your Home Cooking”- An article featuring Portland Farmers Market and Jacobson Salt Co.

INDUSTRY Oregonlive.com, “Astoria and Warrenton cope with coronavirus shutdown, as Oregon Coast braces for an uncertain future.” A profile article details how Astoria and Warrenton are coping with the pandemic (online and print).

KATU, “Travel Oregon to layoff 17, cut pay amid coronavirus pandemic.” An article about the staff layoffs at Travel Oregon.

East Oregonian, “Survey shows huge losses for over half of Oregon businesses.” An article that references the survey by Business Oregon, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network reporting a 70% decrease in sales.

Oregon Business Magazine, “Travel Message: Stay Local and Spend Money.” An article about Travel Oregon and regional tourism associations encouraging locals to visit local parks and spend money in restaurants and cultural institutions when they can do so. Sara Morrissey is quoted.

Willamette Week, “What Will Be Left for Tourists to Visit in a Year? Travel Oregon CEO Todd Davidson Has a Few Hopes.” An article features Todd Davidson discussing the state’s future for tourism.

Portland Business Journal, “Five Things for Monday, including PPP data and rising Covid cases.” A roundup shares the announcement of the COVID Emergency Grant Program.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants coverage USA Today, “Coronavirus updates, Thursday: Marion County has most new cases since reopening.” An article shares the announcement of the COVID Emergency Grant Program. Todd Davidson is quoted. (Syndicated from Statesman Journal.)

East Oregonian, “City of Pendleton receives $25,000 in grant funding from Travel Oregon”

La Grande Observer, “Business & ag happenings: June 11, 2020”

36 JUNE 2020 COMMISSION MEETING North Coast Citizen, “Travel Oregon directs more than $800,000 to support small businesses”

Cannon Beach Gazette, “Travel Oregon directs more than $800,000 to support small businesses”

Seaside Signal, “Grants to help Seaside Visitors Bureau, Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce retain staff.” Sara Morrissey is quoted.

The Dalles Chronicle, “Travel Oregon offers grants to small businesses.”

KTVZ, “Travel Oregon directs more than $800,000 to support small businesses.”

Portland Business Journal, “Five Things for Monday, including PPP data and rising Covid cases.” A round up that includes the COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants.

KPTV, “Travel Oregon reallocates $800K, gives money to state businesses.” Sara Morrissey is interviewed.

Willamette Week, “East Multnomah County Hotels Are Among Dozens of Tourism Industry Businesses Receiving Financial Help.”

The Outlook, “Local hotels receive financial assist from grants.”

Newport News Times, “Travel Oregon directs more than $800,000 to support small businesses.”

Oregon Travel Daily, “Travel Oregon Comes to Aid of 121 Tourism Industry Organizations.”

PRESS RELEASES “Travel Oregon directs more than $800,000 to support small businesses across the state.” Announcing the recipients of the COVID-19 Emergency Grant funding.

37 Oregon Tourism Commission Profit & Loss Budget vs. Actual July 2019 - June 2020

July 2019 - June Over (Under) % of Oregon Tourism Commission 2020 Annual Budget Budget Budget ProfitSources: & Loss Budget vs. Actual July 2019Income: - June 2020 Lodging Tax Income 39,714,125 39,100,000 614,125 101.6% Interest Income 154,240 150,000 4,240 102.8% July 2019 - June Over (Under) % of Misc. Revenue 2020 22,839 Annual Budget - Budget 22,839 Budget100.0% Conference/Event Revenue 15,323 - 15,323 100.0% Sources: Welcome Center Brochure Program 47,978 40,000 7,978 119.9% Income: Federal Grant Funds 11,064 - 11,064 100.0% Lodging Tax Income 39,714,125 39,100,000 614,125 101.6% Total Income: 39,965,569 39,290,000 675,569 101.7% Interest Income 154,240 150,000 4,240 102.8% Beginning Fund Balances: Misc. Revenue 22,839 - 22,839 100.0% Beginning Balance - Regional 7,538,000 7,538,000 - 100.0% Conference/Event Revenue 15,323 - 15,323 100.0% Beginning Balance - Grants 4,589,138 4,589,138 - 100.0% Welcome Center Brochure Program 47,978 40,000 7,978 119.9% Beginning Balance - All other TO programs 8,888,810 8,888,810 - 100.0% Federal Grant Funds 11,064 - 11,064 100.0% Total Beginning Fund Balances: 21,015,948 21,015,948 - 100.0% Total Income: 39,965,569 39,290,000 675,569 101.7% Total Sources: 60,981,517 60,305,948 675,569 101.1% Beginning Fund Balances: Beginning Balance - Regional 7,538,000 7,538,000 - 100.0% Uses: Beginning Balance - Grants 4,589,138 4,589,138 - 100.0% FutureBeginning Programming Balance -- StatutoryAll other TO programs 8,888,810 8,888,810 - 100.0% Regional - future (net of administrative expense) 7,434,525 7,311,700 122,825 101.7% Total Beginning Fund Balances: 21,015,948 21,015,948 - 100.0% Grants - future (net of administrative expense) 3,619,513 3,558,100 61,413 101.7% Total Sources: 60,981,517 60,305,948 675,569 101.1% Total Future Programming - Statutory 11,054,038 10,869,800 184,238 101.7%

Uses: Other Programming & Reserves Future Programming - Statutory Operating Reserve (from Admin/Ops Budget) 228,500 228,500 - 100.0% Regional - future (net of administrative expense) 7,434,525 7,311,700 122,825 101.7% Immediate Opportunity Fund (from Admin/Ops Budget) 160,000 160,000 - 100.0% Grants - future (net of administrative expense) 3,619,513 3,558,100 61,413 101.7% Marketing & Sales Development (from G. Marketing Budget) - 7,431,484 (7,431,484) 0.0% Total Future Programming - Statutory 11,054,038 10,869,800 184,238 101.7% Total Future and Other Programming & Reserves 388,500 7,819,984 (7,431,484) 4.97%

Other Programming & Reserves Total Future and Other Programming & Reserves 11,442,538 18,689,784 (7,247,246) 61.2% Operating Reserve (from Admin/Ops Budget) 228,500 228,500 - 100.0% Immediate Opportunity Fund (from Admin/Ops Budget) 160,000 160,000 - 100.0% MarketingExpense & Sales Development (from G. Marketing Budget) - 7,431,484 (7,431,484) 0.0% 8,983,981 10,452,363 (1,468,382) 86.0% TotalGlobal Future Marketing and Other Programming & Reserves 388,500 7,819,984 (7,431,484) 4.97% Global Strategic Partnerships 1,791,321 1,843,735 (52,413) 97.2% Global Strategic Partnerships - RCTP 8,052,239 8,046,300 5,939 100.1% Total Future and Other Programming & Reserves 11,442,538 18,689,784 (7,247,246) 61.2% Global Strategic Partnerships - Grants 4,264,059 4,941,038 (676,979) 86.3% Global Sales 2,702,006 2,721,818 (19,812) 99.3% Expense Destination Development 1,814,439 1,924,057 (109,618) 94.3% Global Marketing 8,983,981 10,452,363 (1,468,382) 86.0% Administration & Operations 3,588,859 3,793,871 (205,012) 94.6% Global Strategic Partnerships 1,791,321 1,843,735 (52,413) 97.2% Total Expense 31,196,905 33,723,181 (2,526,276) 92.5% Global Strategic Partnerships - RCTP 8,052,239 8,046,300 5,939 100.1% Global Strategic Partnerships - Grants 4,264,059 4,941,038 (676,979) 86.3% Total Uses: 42,639,443 52,412,965 (2,342,038) 81.4% Global Sales 2,702,006 2,721,818 (19,812) 99.3% Destination Development 1,814,439 1,924,057 (109,618) 94.3% Net Income 18,342,074 7,892,983 10,449,091 Administration & Operations 3,588,859 3,793,871 (205,012) 94.6% Total Expense 31,196,905 33,723,181 (2,526,276) 92.5% Wine Country License Plate Program: Sources: Total Uses: 42,639,443 52,412,965 (2,342,038) 81.4% Wine Country License Plate Sales 390,063 - 390,063 100.0% Beginning Balance for Distribution: Tourism Promotion 267,155 267,155 - 100.0% Net Income 18,342,074 7,892,983 10,449,091 Beginning Balance for Distribution: Grants 387,617 387,617 - 100.0% Total Sources 1,044,835 654,772 390,063 Wine Country License Plate Program: Uses: Sources: Tourism Promotion 230,954 267,155 (36,201) 86.4% Wine Country License Plate Sales 390,063 - 390,063 100.0% Grants 124,575 387,617 (263,042) 32.1% Beginning Balance for Distribution: Tourism Promotion 267,155 267,155 - 100.0% Total Uses 355,529 654,772 (299,243) Beginning Balance for Distribution: Grants 387,617 387,617 - 100.0% Net Income 689,306 - 689,306 Total Sources 1,044,835 654,772 390,063 Uses: Total Net Income 19,031,380 7,892,983 11,138,397 Tourism Promotion 230,954 267,155 (36,201) 86.4% Grants 124,575 387,617 (263,042) 32.1% Total Uses 355,529 654,772 (299,243) Net Income 689,306 - 689,306

Total Net Income 19,031,380 7,892,983 11,138,397

Note: This financial information is unaudited and prepared for internal users of the agency. This information is not in the format of full disclosure according to GAAP.

38 OCTOBER 2020 COMMISSION MEETING

Note: This financial information is unaudited and prepared for internal users of the agency. This information is not in the format of full disclosure according to GAAP. Oregon Tourism Commission Profit & Loss Budget vs. Actual July 2019 - June 2020

July 2019 - June Over (Under) % of Oregon Tourism Commission 2020 Annual Budget Budget Budget BalanceSources: Sheet Income: Lodging Tax Income 39,714,125 39,100,000 614,125 101.6% Interest Income 154,240 150,000 4,240 102.8% Misc. Revenue As 22,839 of June 30, 2020 - 22,839 100.0% ASSETSConference/Event Revenue 15,323 . - 15,323 100.0% CurrentWelcome Assets Center Brochure Program 47,978 40,000 7,978 119.9% FederalChecking/Savings Grant Funds 11,064 - 11,064 100.0% Total Income: 39,965,569 39,290,000 675,569 101.7% Cash - programming and reserves 23,115,321 Beginning Fund Balances: BeginningCash Balance - Grants - Regional - Committed, not disbursed 7,538,000 7,538,000639,713 - 100.0% BeginningCash Balance - Committed - Grants for Future Grants 4,589,138 3,619,513 4,589,138 - 100.0% BeginningCash Balance - Committed - All other for TO Future programs RCTP 8,888,810 9,334,945 8,888,810 - 100.0% Total BeginningRestricted Fund Cash Balances: - Wine Country Plates 21,015,948 21,015,948875,837 - 100.0% Total TotalSources: Checking/Savings 60,981,517 37,585,328 60,305,948 675,569 101.1% Accounts Receivable 912,244 Uses: FutureOther Programming Current Assets - Statutory 94,303 TotalRegional Current - future Assets (net of administrative expense) 7,434,525 38,591,875 7,311,700 122,825 101.7% FixedGrants Assets - future (net of administrative expense) 3,619,513 3,558,100333,000 61,413 101.7% OtherTotal AssetsFuture Programming - Statutory 11,054,038 10,869,80032,982 184,238 101.7%

TOTALOther ASSETS Programming & Reserves 38,957,857 Operating Reserve (from Admin/Ops Budget) 228,500 228,500 - 100.0% LIABILITIES,Immediate EQUITYOpportunity & FUNDFund (from BALANCES Admin/Ops Budget) 160,000 160,000 - 100.0% Marketing & Sales Development (from G. Marketing Budget) - 7,431,484 (7,431,484) 0.0% Liabilities Total Future and Other Programming & Reserves 388,500 7,819,984 (7,431,484) 4.97% Current Liabilities Total FutureAccounts and Other PayableProgramming & Reserves 11,442,538 18,689,7841,325,363 (7,247,246) 61.2% Other Current Liabilities 422,404 ExpenseTotal Current Liabilities 1,747,767 GlobalLong Marketing Term Liabilities 8,983,981 10,452,3630 (1,468,382) 86.0% Global Strategic Partnerships 1,791,321 1,843,735 (52,413) 97.2% TotalGlobal Liabilities Strategic Partnerships - RCTP 8,052,239 1,747,767 8,046,300 5,939 100.1% Global Strategic Partnerships - Grants 4,264,059 4,941,038 (676,979) 86.3% EquityGlobal & Sales Fund Balances 2,702,006 2,721,818 (19,812) 99.3% DestinationRegional Development (RCTP) - for distribution next FY 1,814,439 7,935,800 1,924,057 (109,618) 94.3% Administration & Operations 3,588,859 3,793,871 (205,012) 94.6% Regional (RCTP) - for future distribution 1,399,145 Total Expense 31,196,905 33,723,181 (2,526,276) 92.5% Grants - for future distribution 3,619,513 Total GrantsUses: - undistributed funds 42,639,443 52,412,965 639,713 (2,342,038) 81.4% Invested in capital assets 333,000 Net IncomeReserved for Immediate Opportunity Fund (IOF) 18,342,074 1,450,000 7,892,983 10,449,091 Operating Reserve 3,148,422 Wine CountryFund License balances Plate for Program: next FY: Sources: 7,431,484 Wine CountryWAC License - Oregon22 Plate Sales 390,063 - 390,063 100.0% BeginningOther Balance Programs for Distribution: Tourism Promotion 267,155 2,054,307 267,155 - 100.0% BeginningFunding Balance forfor Distribution:FY2021 budget Grants 387,617 7,892,983 387,617 - 100.0% TotalUnanticipated Sources TLT from FY2020 1,044,835 429,888 654,772 390,063 Uses:Restricted for Wine Country Plates 875,837 Tourism Promotion 230,954 267,155 (36,201) 86.4% 37,210,090 TotalGrants Equity and Fund Balances 124,575 387,617 (263,042) 32.1% TOTALTotal LIABILITIES, Uses EQUITY & FUND BALANCES 355,529 38,957,857 654,772 (299,243) Net Income 689,306 - 689,306

Total Net Income 19,031,380 7,892,983 11,138,397

Note: This financial information is unaudited and prepared for internal users of the agency. This information is not in the format of full disclosure according to GAAP.

39

Note: This financial information is unaudited and prepared for internal users of the agency. This information is not in the format of full disclosure according to GAAP. OREGON TOURISM COMMISSION 319 SW Washington Street, Suite 700 Portland, Oregon 97204 971.717.6205 traveloregon.com industry.traveloregon.com MOUNTAINS LEGACY MOUNTAINS