As we enter 2015, Bend’s tourism industry is strong, vibrant, and on pace for a fourth consecutive record year.
The overall economic impact of tourism in Central Oregon is estimated to exceed $600 million in 2015. In addition to the direct visitor spending, tourism creates an important long-term economic benefit by serving as the gateway industry to attract new businesses and new residents to Bend. It’s difficult to find a business in Bend that does not benefit from the economic growth created by the tourism industry.
From 2010 through 2014, transient lodging tax collections within the city of Bend grew 57 percent, significantly outpacing most other tourism destinations. Each month during the 2014 fiscal year set citywide lodging occupancy records for that specific month. As a result of this continued growth, new hotels are being built, small businesses are thriving and new residents and businesses are relocating to Central Oregon.
While we recognize this historic run for Bend’s tourism industry will eventually wane, Visit Bend is focused on building a foundation for long term sustainable growth. The key to that plan is to strengthen Bend’s appeal during the shoulder seasons and winter months. It’s not uncommon for winter and shoulder season tourism volume to be less than 50 percent of peak summer months.
As part of Visit Bend’s ongoing efforts to improve the winter and shoulder season tourism economy, we’ve started 2015 by launching the largest winter marketing campaign in the city’s history. The campaign targets potential visitors from across Oregon and the greater Seattle area, and invites them to enjoy Bend’s world class outdoor recreation, exciting cultural tourism opportunities and our legendary craft breweries. If you’re interested in learning more about Bend’s winter marketing campaign, the entire campaign can be viewed at www.visitbend.com/campaign.
In addition to launching this new winter and shoulder season marketing campaign, Visit Bend has been busy recruiting new and exciting citywide events and conferences to Bend. Bend was recently awarded the 2016 and 2017 USA Track & Field Cross Country Running National Championships. This event will attract thousands of runners and their families to Bend in February of both years. Additionally, Bend will play host to the USA Duathlon National Championships in June of 2016 and 2017.
As we look to the long-term health of Bend’s tourism industry, it’s critical for our destination to continue to diversify our tourism offerings. With this in mind, 2015 represents an important step in our tourism industry’s evolution with the introduction of the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund. This important program establishes a long-term marketing fund to ensure the growth and success of our city’s many arts and cultural tourist attractions.
It’s clear that Bend’s tourism industry has been enjoying a prolonged and prosperous run. While the outlook for 2015 is optimistic, the bar has been raised significantly. It will require continued creativity, innovation and hard work to ensure Bend tourism industry can maintain sustainable growth for years to come. The Visit Bend staff and board of directors are confident the industry will rise to the occasion.
Doug La Placa, Visit Bend, 541-382-8048, www.visitbend.com
