Tourism leadership visits the Gorge to thanks hospitality workers
Todd Davidson of Travel Oregon and Katie Kadlub of the Hood River Chamber of Commerce at Last Hope Barbershop in Hood River on Tuesday, October 4th, 2022. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
Several local businesses in the Columbia River Gorge got a special delivery on October 5th, 2022.
Travel Oregon, Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge Regional Tourism Alliance, Visit Hood River, The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Troutdale, hand delivered bags of cookies with thank you notes attached to tourism oriented businesses across the region.
“This whole thing is a very intentional program, on behalf of the leadership of the tourism industry,” said Todd Davidson, Chief Executive Officer for the Oregon Tourism Commission.
The point of the in-person visits is to personally convey appreciation to business owners and staff in the area and honor their important role in the local economy.
The tourism industry employed nearly 4,500 workers in the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge area and generated $438 million in 2021.
The thank you note attached to the cookie bag read:
“Dear Mt.Hood and Columbia River Gorge Hospitality Workers,
On behalf of the tourism industry in the region, we want to thank you for an amazing 2022 season. We know things still aren’t the same as they used to be with supply chain issues, understaffed work environments, COVID surges, and stressed out customers.
That is why we wanted to take a moment today to let you know how much gratitude and appreciation we have for everything you do… as do the countless visitors and guests you serve whose days you make a little (and more often than not, a lot) brighter.
The acts of service and joy that you and your coworkers deliver every day are what make Mt. Hood and the Columba River Gorge such a special place to live and visit and we can’t begin to express how grateful we are for you.
Thank you for all that you do.”
The note was stapled to bags containing Individually wrapped pumpkin chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and ginger snap cookies that were quickly devoured by many hungry staff members.
A Halloween decoration hangs on to the bag for staff at Last Hope Barbershop. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
The current state of tourism in Oregon and in the Gorge
An image from the Oregon Travel Impacts: 2003 – 2021 Economic Impact Report conducted by Dean Runyan Associates illustrates travel spending in Oregon from 2003-2021
The Oregon tourism industry generated $12.8 billion in visitor spending in 2019 and employed more than 117,000 Oregonians. Today the tourism industry is still hurting as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Oregon’s travel and tourism industry did not become a $12.8 billion industry by accident. It resulted from us being collaborative, passionate and smart,” said Davidson.
Oregon’s tourism industry experienced some sharp declines at the beginning of the pandemic 2020 but in 2021 still managed to garner $10.9 billion.
An image from the Oregon Travel Impacts: 2003 – 2021 Economic Impact Report conducted by Dean Runyan Associates illustrates tourism spending across the state.
In 2021, 2.9 million people visited Oregon. Those visitors spent the most money on accommodations and food service.
However despite the slow growth, employment levels in the tourism industry are still down from pre-pandemic levels and economists warn that gains made in the last two years may be temporary as inflation increases, interest rates go up, and a recession continues to loom.
“According to the general definition—two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP)—the U.S. entered a recession in the summer of 2022,” reads an article from Forbes. However the article also states that not everyone agrees with that definition.
“The organization that defines U.S. business cycles, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), takes a different view. According to the NBER’s definition of recession—a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months—we were not in a recession in the summer of 2022.”
Either way, state and local tourism leadership plans to push forward.
“Travel Oregon is narrowing its focus to support, grow and promote the thoughtful reopening of Oregon’s tourism industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As regulations are lifted and consumer mindsets transition from fear and frustration to hope and exploration, Oregon will be here, ready to welcome all explorers,” said Davidson.
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