That’s right, Join us on The Go With Gary! ride. This will happen on Filmed By Bike’s opening night, April 13th, and will meet at the downtown Bike Gallery (1001 SW 10th Ave). A social hour with free pizza (and a chance to check out Bike Gallery’s big spring sale!) starts at 4:00 and the ride to the Clinton Street Theater leaves at 6:00. Check out this Bikeportland.org story and get More details at FilmedByBike.org. This will be a great way to arrive at the Filmed By Bike Festival in style.
SALEM, Ore. – Jan. 19, 2012 – Following President Barack Obama’s Executive Order laying out a strategy for increasing international travel to the U.S., Secretary of Commerce John Bryson tapped Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon) CEO Todd Davidson as chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to help implement the initiative.
The Advisory Board will work closely with a federal intra-agency task force charged with developing a National Travel & Tourism Strategy taking advantage of the booming global travel market. Designed to make it more efficient for international travelers to visit and experience the nation’s attractions, the program holds the potential to generate 1 million new jobs over the next decade by increasing international travel to the U.S.
“I have a steadfast belief in tourism’s ability to boost and diversify local economies and generate good jobs that can’t be outsourced. I’m honored to serve the travel industry and our country during this pivotal time,” said Davidson. “In leading the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, I’ll continue working closely with the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies. We’ll take the bold steps necessary to improve the travel process and unlock our nation’s potential.”
Travel and tourism is a $1.2 trillion sector of the U.S. economy or nearly three percent of Gross Domestic Product, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Critical to the nation’s overall economic health, tourism is one of the top employers for more than half of the U.S. states and territories and is on pace for a record-setting year. Through November 2011, international visitors spent an estimated $139.4 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period in 2010. The U.S. recorded a $38.4 billion trade surplus for travel and tourism through November 2011.
“The travel industry is an important part of Oregon’s economy,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “Appointing Todd Davidson to Chair the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board was an excellent selection. Todd is a thoughtful and effective leader who will continue to promote Oregon’s tourism advantages in his national position.”
Davidson was appointed Executive Director of Travel Oregon in June 1996 and was named Chief Executive Officer in September 2004. Under his leadership, the tourism industry in Oregon has flourished into an $8.7 billion industry that employs more than 90,000 Oregonians; in 2011 more than 2,000 jobs were created. In 2003 he helped lead an effort to establish dedicated and stable funding for the Commission. This funding has been crucial in Travel Oregon’s ability to grow the state’s tourism industry through strengthening its base of international markets; leadership in sustainable tourism initiatives; and award-winning publications, niche-oriented websites and advertising campaigns.
In addition to continuing his role as CEO of Travel Oregon and Chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, Davidson also serves on the Board of the U.S. Travel Association, the National Council of State Tourism Directors and the Western States Tourism Policy Council.
The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, works to enhance visitors’ experience by providing information, resources and trip planning tools that inspire travel and consistently convey the exceptional quality of Oregon. The commission aims to improve Oregonians’ quality of life by strengthening economic impacts of the state’s $8.7 billion tourism industry. www.traveloregon.com
Contact:
Linea Gagliano
(503) 729-6021
Linea@TravelOregon.com
Our company specializes in giving tour participants real and current cultural experiences. Visitors from Iowa today got to experience the vibrant winter PSU Farmers market to collect seasonal greens for a tangy Northwestern salad. Clear skies awarded us with great views of Mt. Hood and cityscape reflections on the calm surface of the Willamette river. What would a weekend in Portland be without a landslide of local events, including the infamous spectacle that is “Santacon”, a group of surly Santas pub-crawling their way all over town trying to scare the average adult, but not their children. It’s hard to explain why 100 or so Santas are smoking and drinking on the sidewalk outside of a downtown pub at 1 pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but we’ve gotten better with practice. “Santa works really hard”, I tell people. “He needs to cut loose”. Today there was also a local march to support the rights of immigrant workers in Oregon and we just so happen to visit their path to see some community action in action. The Saturday Market is Oregon’s oldest and largest open air craft market and makes a great stop for some locally crafted gifts for the season. It wouldn’t be Portland without passing by a few new food carts, or a random brass band playing in an alley on the Park Blocks, the pleasant surprises just keep rolling in. Let’s finish off with a stop in Old Town, we hit both Voodoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee at the same time! Thanks again to Today’s tour group and remember what the local’s say – “Put a Bird on It!”
Roadies rejoice! In September, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced five new scenic bikeways.
The 132-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, which was the first in the state (and in the nation, no less) is now joined by five more: Sisters to Smith Rock Scenic Bikeway, Metolius River Loops Scenic Bikeway, McKenzie Pass Scenic Bikeway, Old West Scenic Bikeway, and Blue Mountain Century Scenic Bikeway.
Sisters to Smith Rock Scenic Bikeway covers a 36-mile high desert route from Sisters to Smith Rock State Park near the town of Terrebonne. The rolling ride includes views of the beautiful Deschutes River and Smith’s breathtaking red rock spires.
Metolius River Loops Scenic Bikeway is a series of loops that starts and ends at the historic Camp Sherman Store and Fly Shop. These family-friendly rides follow paved Forest Service roads along the scenic Metolius River and range from three to 22 miles.
The McKenzie Pass Scenic Bikeway covers 35 miles between Sisters and the Limberlost Forest Service Campground. The route includes a challenging climb, amazing views of Mt. Washington and the McKenzie River and a fast descent through dense forests.
The Old West Scenic Bikeway, a 178-mile loop, starts in John Day and travels in a counter clockwise loop through Austin Junction, along the Middle Fork of the John Day River, through Monument and the John Day Fossil Beds.
The 108-mile Blue Mountain Century Scenic Bikeway starts in Heppner and heads south to Ukiah, north to Nye Junction and back to Heppner. The route travels through forest, rangeland and eastern Oregon’s rolling hills.
The routes highlight the dramatic and varied natural beauty of Oregon. Route descriptions are available on the Oregon Parks and Recreation website, and signage is currently being installed along the routes.
The program is a partnership between Cycle Oregon, Travel Oregon, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information on cycling in Oregon, visit rideoregonride.com
I heard about this new Cycling book and thought I would pass it along.
Thanks to those who joined us this Last Thursday for an awesome Tour of Bike Culture Events. We celebrated in style and visited the ARTCRANK Poster show for a few microbrews and some Poster viewing. Fantastic artwork this year, I got a new piece for the office and was happy to support the fundraising event. Next up we rolled over to the Museum of Contemporary Craft to see the Oregon Manifest Constructors design Challenge finalists, beautiful bikes. Growing in size, our group descended upon the foodcarts as we reached the Lizard Lounge Street Party. And thanks to bikeportland.org for this sweet invite they put together.
Another great article sharing some local business perspectives on meeting the market demand for users of active transportation and creating successful urban designs in our neighborhoods. We happen to be friends with the Bike Friendly Guest House and the Hopworks Crew, see you at the BIKEBAR! http://nyti.ms/nzfsT4
