Oregon focuses on food

Oregon focuses on food
By admin


Travel Oregon is hoping to benefit from a growing trend towards food and adventure travel, which is seeing many Australians looking beyond traditional US hotspots.

While California holds a 50% market share of visits from Australia, travellers on their third or fourth visit who have “done Disneyland, done LA” are now looking to Oregon, according to Lisa Itel, global sales manager Americas and Oceania.

“We’re so well positioned for this market, in between California and Seattle,” she told Travel Today.

Easy access and the state’s growing reputation as a culinary destination are making it an increasingly popular choice, Itel added, despite the lack of a direct air connection. Fly drive accounts for 85% of visitors.

Australia is now Oregon’s number two international market, recording 5% growth in each of the three years since Oregon Tourism entered the local market.

“We’re seeing some really good results. There’s not one month we’ve seen a decrease in numbers,” Itel said.

While Oregon is not undertaking any consumer marketing activity in the immediate future, it is working with the trade on “specific targeted campaigns” with wholesale partners such as Adventure World.

The tourism body has forecast growth of between 10% and 15% over the next 12 months.

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