In June of 2018 an updated report on the economic impact of travel and tourism to Oregon was published for Travel Oregon by Dean Runyan and Associates. This study shows that
The Executive Summary is presented below.
Executive Summary
This report provides detailed statewide, regional and county travel impact
estimates for Oregon from 1992 to 2017. The report also provides
average spending and volume estimates for overnight visitors for most
counties. The estimates for 2017 are preliminary. Secondary impacts and
travel industry GDP are provided at the state level.
Travel Spending, Employment and earnings continue to expand
The Oregon travel industry continued to exhibit strong growth in 2017, as
all measures of travel activity were up over 2016.
· Spending. Total direct travel spending in Oregon was $11.8
billion in 2017. The annual increase from 2016 was 4.7 percent in
current dollars. In real, inflation-adjusted, dollars travel spending
increased by 3.2 percent. Visitor spending, excluding
transportation, increased by 3.6 percent in current dollars. This is
the eighth consecutive year of growth in travel spending following
the recession.
· Travel Activity. An estimated 28.8 million overnight visitors
traveled to Oregon destinations in 2017 (preliminary). This
represents a 1.0 percent increase over 2016. Since 2010,
overnight person-trips have increased by 2.2 percent per year.
Domestic visitor air arrivals to Oregon (4.0 million) increased by
5.5 percent for the year. Room demand, as measured by STR, Inc.,
increased by 1.3 percent for the year.[1]
· Employment. Total travel generated employment was 112,200 in
2017. This represents a 2.2 percent increase over 2016, the
seventh consecutive year of employment growth following the
steep decline from 2008 to 2010. Employment has increased by
3.2 percent per year since 2010.
· Secondary Impacts. The re-spending of travel-generated revenues
by businesses and employees generates additional impacts. In
2017, these secondary impacts were equivalent to 58,300 jobs
with earnings of $2.8 billion. Most of these jobs were in various
professional and business services.
· GDP. The Gross Domestic Product of the travel industry was $5.0
billion in 2017. Overall, the travel industry is one of the three largest
export-oriented industries in rural Oregon counties (the other two being
agriculture/food processing and logging/wood products).
1. The STR reports were prepared for the Oregon Tourism Commission
For the full report see: OREGON TRAVEL IMPACTS, 1992-2017 June 2018
