The Willamette Valley Visitors Association is working hard to assist our partners as they navigate the COVID-19 outbreak.
To help our partners and stakeholders, we've compiled a few resources to help you through these trying times:
News and Updates on COVID-19 in the Willamette Valley: Our "news and updates" page includes local, state, and federal guidance on gatherings; provides an overview of the disease (and how it spreads); and offers tips and advice for keeping staff and visitors safe.
Willamette Valley Visitors Association Industry and Stakeholder Resources: We've put together a list of resources to assist our partners as they navigate the COVID-19 outbreak. The page includes "open for business" reporting, information and resources for employers and workers, industry-specific links, closure information, and more.
WVVA was founded as a collaborative regional organization made up of six sub-regional organizations. WVVA's members have been a successful team for over 27 years, and have supported each other’s individual organizations while concurrently working as a cooperative to successfully adopt structural additions like Travel Oregon's Regional Cooperative Tourism Program and the Oregon Wine Country License Plate program. The six entities that comprise WVVA are represented by members of a Board of Directors and Public Relations and Marketing team.
Each serve in the following capacities:
Willamette Valley Visitors Association Board of Directors:
 | Irene Bernards President Marion & Polk Counties 181 High St. NE Salem, Oregon 97301 ibernards@travelsalem.com |
 | Rebecca Bond Linn County 110 3rd Ave SE Albany OR 97321 rebecca@albanyvisitors.com |
| Jeannine Breshears Vice President Secretary Marketing Co-Chair Clackamas County 150 Beavercreek Road Oregon City, OR 97045 jeannine@mthoodterritory.com | |
 | Christina Rehklau Benton County 420 NW 2nd St. Corvallis, OR 97330 christina@visitcorvallis.com |
 | Natalie Inouye Marketing Co-Chair Lane County 754 Olive St. Eugene OR 97401 natalie@eugenecascadescoast.org |
 | Jeff Knapp Yamhill County McMinnville, OR 97128 jeff@visitmcminnville.com |
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association’s Regional Cooperative Tourism Program (RCTP) plan has been approved by Travel Oregon and is underway. Thank you to all of the Willamette Valley stakeholders that participated in surveys and in-person gatherings to share your thoughts and creativity for this plan.
At a local level, millions of dollars in lodging taxes are collected to support local governments, tourism facilities, and tourism promotion. These dollars are essential to strengthening our local Willamette Valley economies.
Our friends at the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association created this video that breaks down TLT/TOT taxes to make this subject more digestible.
If you're curious about how communities in Oregon are using these tax dollars, Travel Oregon recently released and updated study that explains this very thing. You can find the study at https://industry.traveloregon.com/resources/research/local-transient-lodging-tax-expenditures-and-administration-report/.
