Tourism touches nearly every aspect of the coastal economy. Our nature, our local business, our local food. As the Regional Destination Management Organization for the Oregon Coast – we have a responsibility to be champions for the future of this place.
That’s why we just launched our Resiliency Dashboard – a central stop on our industry site where our partners can learn why we’re taking on coastal resiliency initiatives, and how we’re doing it.
You can find the new Resiliency Dashboard on our industry site. There, you’ll find an overview of our commitment to the coast, links to the research that backs up our strategy, and a breakdown of our projects and focus areas to see this work in action.
Why are we focused on Coastal Resiliency?
Here are some key stats:
- Tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. Travel is essential to our economy, and that economy relies on a healthy environment.
- Our coastlines are vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, ocean acidification, wildfires, landslides, and changing weather patterns that will dramatically change the ecological health of our ocean, forests, and wetlands. We want to build resilience into our communities.
- People recognize the need for sustainability and are excited to embrace it while traveling. 90% of visitors want to make eco-conscious choices on their trips.
- We’re moving in the right direction. It is estimated that the sustainable innovation economy will be worth up to $26 trillion by 2030. By engaging in this work, we can bring this burgeoning economy to the Oregon Coast.
Our resilience strategy is informed by our newly updated Mitigation, Adaption and Resiliency Plan, which is aimed at addressing the climate-related challenges impacting tourism on the Oregon Coast.
All 363 miles of Oregon’s coast are designated as public access – our vision of the “people’s coast,” is to ensure lasting access to this incredible place, its natural resources, and the ability for everyone to experience them. We are committed to championing resiliency initiatives, mitigating travel impacts and promoting responsible tourism so that the Oregon Coast can continue to be the People’s Coast for generations to come.
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Oregon Coast Visitors Association
The Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) is the official Regional Destination Management Organization for the entire Oregon Coast as designated by the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon).Through innovation, stewardship, and strategic investments, OCVA inspires travel and strengthens collaboration towards a sustainable coastal economy
OCVA has the honor of working with coastal communities to align partnerships, destination development projects, and destination marketing with the vision of creating an enriched coastal experience for all. This includes coastal stakeholders, new and returning visitors, and the natural resources that make these coveted experiences so magical.