Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance
E-Newsletter
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Message from Your President
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Fall itinerary refresh and inspiration meeting. We appreciate you taking the time to join us! For those who may be less familiar with OTTA, we have traditionally focused our Fall meeting on new itinerary generation. Since we already have six itineraries on our website, the first half of our meeting was centered on making sure content (are the businesses still open?) and contacts were updated. The second half of the meeting was a brainstorming session on sustainable travel and events/activities that encourage shoulder season visits. OTTA’s marketing and education committees will now go to work on producing these updated itineraries so they can be used for the 2022 trade shows including ABA in January, Go West in February and Spotlight on the Northwest in April. Once updated these will also live on our website as a a resource for operators.
Speaking of updating content, when was the last time you looked at your online OTTA membership listing? Please take a few minutes to take a peek and see if the contact person and phone numbers are correct. If you have any questions about accessing your member page, please contact Stephanie at: info@oregonpackagedtravel.com.
Wishing you all continued good health! Hope to see your beautiful faces in December for our informal Zoom “happy hour”.
Tammy Thompson
OTTA President
Hotelco, LLC
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OTTA Secret Santa 2.0
Totally optional, totally fun!
OTTA has once again set up a Secret Santa gift exchange through Elftser. You should have recently received an email invite that allows you to accept or decline the invitation. If you haven’t received the invite, you may also use this link to sign up and participate.
I have made the invitation shareable so if there is someone else who is in your organization that you would like to become more familiar with OTTA, please feel free to invite them to participate.
Sign-up closes on November 22. Names will be drawn by Elfster on November 23 and you will be sent an email saying who you are buying for.
You'll be in charge of shipping your recipient a fun gift that represents your region of the state (preferred so we can learn about other areas and makers in Oregon, but only a suggestion). Please try to stay within the $20 spending limit (including shipping) and fill out the Wishlist to give your person some ideas of the kind of things you like and don't like. Please note any allergies you may have in case your secret Santa would like to send you food! Last but not least, please aim to have your recipient receive their gift on or before December 16 so they may open it at our 3:30 pm-4:30 pm Zoom Happy Hour. Reminder that USPS has indicated slower service in the holiday season.
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OTTA Itineraries
It is not too late to send in your suggestions for two new “menu” type itineraries, Sustainable Tourism and Shoulder Season.
Send your ideas to:
Provide the following information: Name, contact, email, website, and phone.
Let’s make these itineraries a great tool for our tour operators!
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People on the Move
Mandy Morgan, has left her role as Marketing Manager at Willamette Valley Vineyards and starts her new job as Director of Sales & Marketing for the Portland Spirit on November 8th.
Our number one ticket seller (TICKETS!),Timothy Bishop, has moved from his Tourism and Marketing roles at Travel Baker County to become the Director of Economic Development for the City of La Grande, OR.
Tori Middlestadt, former Development and Industry Relations Manager for the Willamette Valley Visitors Association has relocated to Southern Oregon to become the Executive Director for Experience Grants Pass.
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory/Clackamas County Tourism, is delighted to welcome back Aaron Liersemann as Community Relations & Development Specialist.
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Oregon Bamboo Cutting Boards for Sale
Only 3 Left!
$43 (Includes shipping)
Support OTTA and celebrate your favorite regions of Oregon while slicing, dicing and chopping on this cute bamboo cutting board. Also great as a decorative piece or sending as a gift to loved ones. Each cutting board measures 14.5" L x 10.75" W x 0.62" H and includes the Oregon Tour and Travel Alliance logo on the back.
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Member Profile: Tori Middlestadt
Hopefully Tori Middlestadt will be back with OTTA representing Grants Pass soon. In that spirit, we are sharing her profile as follows.
Tori grew up in Alaska but both her parents are from Oregon, so it always felt like a second home. She has been working in the visitor industry since she was 16, working summers to pay for college.
Tori joined OTTA when she started with the Willamette Valley Visitors Association in 2017. As time went on Tori got more involved with OTTA and in 2020, joined the board.
Meg Trendler has been instrumental in helping train her in the travel trade world. She helped Tori understand the role of OTTA in the Oregon tourism ecosystem as well as how in her regional role she can support her DMOs and partners achieve their global sales goals.
OTTA has helped her build a network which helps her in her appointments and conversations at conferences and with operators. Ultimately, the visitor doesn’t understand the boundaries that dictate how we operate and being able to best serve those that sell Oregon helps them know who to contact when to efficiently put their Oregon product together.
Tori’s favorite FAMs are the Oregon Road Rally. It’s so fun to give suggested stops and hear how those within their car picked where they went and brag about what a fun time they had.
Tori thinks the isolation of the pandemic and learning being internalized by the social justice movement have reinforced the importance of travel. Travel is the equalizer that expands understanding of different cultures as well as builds connections where similarities exist. Personally, they have used the time to do longer haul travel within Oregon to hit the places on the list but often deprioritized for places they might fly too. They did a long camping trip in the Steens Wilderness area as their first trip to in Eastern Oregon and we can’t wait to get back to dig deeper into the area.
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Go West 2022:
Registration Open Now for Go West Summit in Reno
Go West Summit travel tradeshow is back for it’s first in-person event since 2019. This year’s summit will take place February 14-17 in Reno, Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort and will see international tour operators, receptive operators and international media clients from around the world for one-on-one appointments with western state delegates. Registered Oregon delegates are invited to attend a special buyer reception as well as the state caucus in addition to scheduled business appointments. Join the Oregon delegation and register now. For questions or to find out if this show is right for you, please email globalsales@traveloregon.com
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Travel Oregon Why Guides:
Leave the Planning to the Experts
Local guides know the ins and outs of the state, including all the important planning details like parking, permits and gear. Iconic places like the Columbia River Gorge often sees crowds and traffic at peak times, but you won’t have to hassle with parking while on a guided trip like the waterfall tour with Wildwood Adventures. For first-time backpackers, Go Wild American Adventures in Eastern Oregon takes care of all the planning for its handcrafted backcountry experiences, from gear and trail stops to wilderness safety and gourmet dinners that even include backcountry cocktails. Find the full-service stay-and-play experience at many Oregon properties like Horse Creek Lodge and Outfitters along the McKenzie River, which offers guided rafting tours, mountain bike rentals and shuttle service.
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Travel Oregon Slightly Exaggerated Winter Campaign
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News Around the State
This is the perfect place to highlight your attraction and feature upcoming events. Send info to Chris Chester chester.chris@yahoo.com
Columbia River Maritime Museum: See what is coming up between now and 2022.
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NEW EXHIBIT – SHIPWRECKS!
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The scope of the new exhibit is global with a local emphasis. Recognizing that 90% of the world’s goods travel by ship; when a ship wrecks the consequences are significant. Most wrecks are caused by a combination of three factors – a failure in equipment, a failure in judgement, or adverse weather conditions.
One of the featured shipwrecks will be the Peter Iredale, which run aground just south of the Museum 115 years ago. Remains of the wreck are still visible at low tide. We will also showcase artifacts from the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker which wrecked in Alaska, to address the environmental impact that some shipwrecks have on the ocean and its wildlife.
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The Columbia River Maritime Museum was founded in 1962 by artist Rolf Kelp. We are the State’s Official Maritime Museum and the first Oregon museum to be nationally accredited. We house the largest collection of maritime artifacts in the PNW and a 12K volume research library. Our “campus” includes the main museum (with permanent and rotating exhibits), the Lightship Columbia (which is away at dry dock for restoration), a 3D movie theater, museum store, the Barbey Maritime Center (for educational programming), the MHRC for collections storage and the Warnock Commons and Model Boat Pond. The plaza displays a number of large, outdoor exhibits as well.
We are working on an entire year of events to celebrate our 60th. The actual week of the anniversary, May 11, 2022, will be focused on our members and generous supporters that have made the last 60 years possible. There will be a community day – partnering with non-profits to give back to the community that have given so much to the Museum.
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In October 2021, the Lightship Columbia, the largest exhibit at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, will be drydocked for some much needed work.
Diversified Marine, Inc. will inspect, clean, sandblast, repair and repaint the hull, decks, superstructure, masts, fittings and rigging. While undergoing her face lift, the engine room and other areas below deck that have been closed to the public since 1979 will be restored and modified into new exhibit spaces.
The Columbia is anticipated to return to the Museum in Astoria in early 2022.
After spending 28 years riding out storms and marking the treacherous entrance to the Columbia River Bar, also known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, the U.S. Coast Guard retired WLV604 and gave her to the Columba River Maritime Museum where she has been a floating exhibit since 1980. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered an important Oregon cultural resource by the Oregon Historic Preservation Office.
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Women’s Wow Weekend: November 12-14, 2021, Cannon Beach Wow! Weekend
Willamette Valley Vineyards Thanksgiving Weekend Wine Celebration: Please join us for our Thanksgiving Weekend Wine Celebration on Friday, November 29th - Sunday, December 1st from 11 am to 6 pm each day. Enjoy an intimate seated wine tasting in the cellar featuring limited-release wines, including our Quinta Reserve Port-style Pinot Noir, library wine specials and stories of the recent harvest.
Admission is $15, or $10 for Wine Club Members, Owners and their guests. Pre-reserved tickets include a Cellar Pass for a Seated Tasting (scheduled in advance) and a wine tasting flight of our latest releases in the Estate Tasting Room. Winery Chef DJ MacIntyre will also offer a special fall-inspired menu available for purchase. Willamette Valley Vineyards - Thanksgiving Weekend Celebration (wvv.com)
Frazier Farmstead Christmas Open House: December 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. join us at the Frazier Farmstead Christmas Open House at 1403 Chestnut Street, Milton Freewater. Decorate sugar cookies with a children’s performance. Our local donut/fry bread food truck will be outside for you to buy treats to go with hot apple cider inside the house. Free and open to the public with tour of the house decorated for the holidays. Christmas Open House (frazierfarmsteadmuseum.org)
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Calendar of Events
January 20, 2022 – OTTA Night Out, 4:00–9:00 p.m. Details to follow
January 21, 2022 – OTTA Winter Meeting, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
February 9, 2022 – OTIS Training
March 14, 2022 – OTTA Spring Meeting, Sunriver, Time TBD
April 24-26, 2022 – Spotlight, Rapid City, SD
May 11, 2022 – OTIS Training
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Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance
www.oregontourandtravelalliance.com
info@oregonpackagedtravel.com
503.626.8197
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