Category Archives: News Release2

The Farmers Market as an economic stimulus

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Eighteen years ago the Farmers Market on Central Avenue in down-town Coos Bay was just one city block. It has come a long way since it first started. Today the Market runs three city blocks plus a little more on the side streets. With the ability to have a maximum capacity of 87 vendors, up by 18 from last year, the market is still growing.

Over sought by the Coos Bay Downtown Association, an independent organization with a mission to revitalize the down-town area, the market runs from the first Wednesday in May through the end of October. Within the season the market runs every Wednesday from 9am to 2pm, making it a big part of the community’s lifestyle.

“I think it is really important for customers, for community members to be able to directly consume fresh, wholesome produce that is grown in their region,” said Market Manager Karlee Cottrell.

Cottrell was born and raised in Coos Bay. After living out of town for a while, two and a half years ago she moved back and found a position she’s always wanted to get involved with. Starting as the Assistant Manager, she took over as the Market Manager in September and her favorite part about the market is the sense of community that it brings in.

“It connects a whole range of different individuals,” said Cottrell. “As far as the vendors who come form the Salem area, all the way down to the Roseburg area to come sell here and then all of our community members who come to shop here as well as the tourist that are traveling through. So it gives a really good opportunity to let people see what our region has to offer.”

According to Cottrell, the market sees around 2000 customers every Wednesday with a good portion of those being tourists visiting the area. The attraction brings in people from all over, representing a large amount of local businesses and artists.

“I think that is really important as an economic stimulus as well,” said Cottrell. “This money is coming from community members and going back into the community.”

Vendors that want to participate in the Farmers Market can do so by applying through the online application process and paying a $17 non-refundable application fee. Customer’s that are on Oregon Food Stamps can also shop at the market.

 

For more information about the Coos Bay Farmer’s Market please visit: https://coosbaydowntown.org/farmers-market/

Oregon Coast Trail

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The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) extends from the mouth of the Columbia River down to the California border south of Brookings. Most of the trail is along the beach, although some goes through state parks or on roads. One of the many benefits of hiking along the OCT is the experience of hiking through many of the state parks and landmarks along the coastline. The trail development began in 1971 by Oregon State Parks and is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

 


View from the OCT in Samuel H. Boardman State Park

 

Although it is officially incomplete, the OCT offers some of the best experiences of hiking in Oregon and can potentially be used as a thru-hike of the Oregon Coast. Planning a thru-hike offers the unique challenge of timing based on tides and planning ferry rides in certain areas, as well as finding ways to be shuttled to trailheads. Since the trail is still being developed, there hasn’t been a lot published or documented of how to thru-hike it. In addition, information for how to backpack or plan multi-day trips is still needed for the Oregon Coast.

Shore Acres State Park viewpoint

Worldwide Competition for Tourism Companies

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Press Release
Madrid, Spain, 26 June 2018 PR No. 18049
 

World Tourism Organization and Globalia announce the first and largest worldwide competition for tourism startups

 

  • This pioneering initiative for the tourism sector reaches out to 164 countries to find startups aiming to transform tourism.
  • Whether tech-based or non-technological, early-stage or more mature, any startup with innovative ideas capable of revolutionizing the way we travel and enjoy tourism is welcome to participate.

 

The tourism sector has taken a giant step into the future. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in partnership with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, announced the launch of the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition. It is the world’s first and largest initiative devoted to identifying new companies that will lead the transformation of the tourism sector. In order to find the best projects, the call for competitors will be launched in 164 countries.

The objective of the programme is to select the best solutions and the most disruptive projects. The search will focus on finding pioneering proposals for implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies, as well as on startups based on new business models, such as the circular economy. In this regard, one of the pillars of this competition is to give visibility to projects that are committed to enhancing sustainability in tourism.

The startup search process is as ambitious as it is complex: identifying the best projects in all corners of the planet. For this, UNWTO and Globalia have enlisted the innovation consultancy firm Barrabés.biz, which boasts more than 20 years’ experience in the creation, connection and activation of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.

To broaden the scope of the competition and to facilitate the registration of interested startups, the programme will be implemented through the digital platform YouNoodle, a leading Silicon Valley company in the startup evaluation space at the global level.

“Innovation and tourism investment are not ends in themselves; they are means to develop better tourism products, to improve the governance of tourism and to make the most of the proven sustainability of tourism, by creating jobs and generating opportunities,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

For his part, Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo confirmed his company’s support for this new initiative emphasizing that “as a global tourism group, we want to offer the winners the opportunity to work with us and transform the sector together”.

 

Who can participate?

To participate in this global competition, startups must present business models that are related to at least one of four main areas:

 

  • The future of travel
  • The tourism experience
  • Environmental impact
  • Community development

 

Those interested in participating can find more information and submit their applications through the programme’s website at www.tourismstartups.org. Applications are open from 26 June to 3 September 2018. The projects will be evaluated according to five criteria: uniqueness and viability of the solution, potential impact, business model, scalability and team profile. A jury will evaluate the entries and select the best projects as semi-finalists to be announced in September 2018.

The winners of this competition will have the opportunity to be part of the leading companies in the tourism sector.

About UNWTO                                                                                                                                               

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization with the decisive and central role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.

 

About Globalia                                                                                                                                             

Globalia is the number one tourism group in Ibero-America, with a turnover of over 3.57 billion euros in 2016. With a presence in more than 20 countries and 15,000 employees, Globalia Holding provides services to all sectors of the world of tourism. It comprises a number of independent companies that are leaders in their markets, including Air Europa (airline), Halcón Viajes (travel agencies), Travelplan (tour operator), Be Live (hotel chain) and Groundforce (airport handling).

 

Related links:

Website

Video

 

Contact for media:

UNWTO – Communications Department
comm@unwto.org
+34 91 567 8100
www.unwto.org

 

Globalia – Communications Department

globaliacomunicacion@globalia.com

+34 91 540 16 82

www.globalia.com