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We often talk about how important tourism is in Douglas County and how it has the potential to grow and boost our economy.
But what kind of tourism are we talking about? What attractions and events bring in tourists?
Plenty. Some stand out, however, and each year, a few more get recognized during the annual Roseburg Area Tourism Industry Awards Program.
Sometimes it takes years for an event to get the recognition that it’s due. Others are immediately lauded for their contributions.
This year was no exception as the awards were handed out May 21 at a Roseburg Visitors Center surrounded by the large colorful rhododendron blooms of Riverside Park.
The new attraction was the designation of the Umpqua River Scenic Byway, a 66-mile route from Oakland to Reedsport. This gives Douglas County bragging rights for having the only road stretching from Interstate 5 to the Oregon Coast that’s been noted for its scenic beauty.
The designation means the byway will be marketed through national brochures, maps and Web sites, potentially attracting visitors to our part of the state and increasing the number of customers for businesses all along the way.
Travelers coming from the coast who want to remain on a scenic byway can connect to the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, heading east from Roseburg and continuing all the way to the Cascades. That would keep tourists in our county, and contributing to our economy, for that much longer. Data from the Roseburg Visitors & Convention Bureau show visitors spend an average of nearly $125 per day, and in 2008, 31 percent of the visitors stayed for seven or more days.
Organizers of two longtime events got together and earned the Rose Award for the best overall contribution to the Roseburg Area visitor industry in 2008. The Glide Wildlflower Show and the Umpqua Valley Quilt Show, the second largest quilt show in the state, were held the same weekend, prompting visitors from out of town to visit the area and take in both shows. An estimated 2,000 people visited the Wildflower Show. Some of those spent the night; others dined in area restaurants.
Similar activities took place when 3,060 bowlers and their family members came to town for the Oregon State Bowling Tournament at Ten Down in Roseburg between March and June of 2008.
Efforts at promoting the Land of the Umpqua are still coming to fruition for the final tourism award winner. An independent contractor for the hospitality industry, Sue Price, arranged a Southern Oregon tour for travel and food writers in the fall of 2008. As a result, local wineries, businesses and attractions continue to pop up on the pages of regional and national magazines, newspapers and Web sites.
The tourism awards show the diversity of events that can bring people to our area, and they demonstrate how it takes a combined effort on the part of many to make a difference in the number of people who choose to spend their leisure time visiting our area.
We hope to see these efforts and more continue in the future.
But what kind of tourism are we talking about? What attractions and events bring in tourists?
Plenty. Some stand out, however, and each year, a few more get recognized during the annual Roseburg Area Tourism Industry Awards Program.
Sometimes it takes years for an event to get the recognition that it’s due. Others are immediately lauded for their contributions.
This year was no exception as the awards were handed out May 21 at a Roseburg Visitors Center surrounded by the large colorful rhododendron blooms of Riverside Park.
The new attraction was the designation of the Umpqua River Scenic Byway, a 66-mile route from Oakland to Reedsport. This gives Douglas County bragging rights for having the only road stretching from Interstate 5 to the Oregon Coast that’s been noted for its scenic beauty.
The designation means the byway will be marketed through national brochures, maps and Web sites, potentially attracting visitors to our part of the state and increasing the number of customers for businesses all along the way.
Travelers coming from the coast who want to remain on a scenic byway can connect to the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, heading east from Roseburg and continuing all the way to the Cascades. That would keep tourists in our county, and contributing to our economy, for that much longer. Data from the Roseburg Visitors & Convention Bureau show visitors spend an average of nearly $125 per day, and in 2008, 31 percent of the visitors stayed for seven or more days.
Organizers of two longtime events got together and earned the Rose Award for the best overall contribution to the Roseburg Area visitor industry in 2008. The Glide Wildlflower Show and the Umpqua Valley Quilt Show, the second largest quilt show in the state, were held the same weekend, prompting visitors from out of town to visit the area and take in both shows. An estimated 2,000 people visited the Wildflower Show. Some of those spent the night; others dined in area restaurants.
Similar activities took place when 3,060 bowlers and their family members came to town for the Oregon State Bowling Tournament at Ten Down in Roseburg between March and June of 2008.
Efforts at promoting the Land of the Umpqua are still coming to fruition for the final tourism award winner. An independent contractor for the hospitality industry, Sue Price, arranged a Southern Oregon tour for travel and food writers in the fall of 2008. As a result, local wineries, businesses and attractions continue to pop up on the pages of regional and national magazines, newspapers and Web sites.
The tourism awards show the diversity of events that can bring people to our area, and they demonstrate how it takes a combined effort on the part of many to make a difference in the number of people who choose to spend their leisure time visiting our area.
We hope to see these efforts and more continue in the future.
