THE MORAL DILEMMA OF TOURISM DURING A PANDEMIC
August 12, 2020
THE MORAL DILEMMA OF TOURISM DURING A PANDEMIC
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That’s what it can (and does) feel like for many destinations right now. After months of zero or near zero visitation, leisure travel has returned in earnest, and in some instances, it feels like the floodgates have been opened. How, then, do destinations balance the urgency and pressure to generate much needed revenue and economic recovery, with the responsibility of protecting the health and safety of the community and its residents? It’s a moral dilemma that is being debated across the globe, including at some of the country’s most popular leisure travel destinations.
Moral or ethical dilemmas are not new to tourism, with sustainability and overtourism often being at the center of the debate. According to the American Psychological Association, “moral dilemmas are challenging because there are often good reasons for and against both choices. For instance, one could argue that it is okay to kill one person if it would save five, because more people would be saved, but killing itself is immoral.”
While we’re not talking about killing people – at least not willingly or knowingly – the predicament we find ourselves in is extremely challenging nonetheless.
At DVA, we are fortunate to call one of the West’s top leisure travel and outdoor recreation destinations home. Right now in particular, Bend is proving to be a strong case study – or test tube, if you will – for tourism and recovery marketing during the pandemic. In response to an extremely high influx of leisure travelers over the past several weeks, and compounded by rising case numbers in Deschutes County, the City of Bend recently issued an administrative order strongly encouraging visitors to stay away until Sept. 7.
While the administrative order in Bend stops short of being an official travel ban, it’s a bold move for a destination and one that specifically asks operators of hotels and other lodging facilities to refrain from booking any new tourism or vacation-related reservations.
It should be noted that this order was implemented by the City of Bend and not by Visit Bend directly, though Visit Bend supports the order, has been a strong proponent of safe and responsible travel throughout the pandemic, and issued a statement in response that read in part, “We fully support the reinstatement of travel restrictions, and we’re adding additional messaging to the website underscoring the importance of staying home and staying safe.”
The order was met with mixed reactions from local tourism and hospitality industry businesses, many of which are desperate to make up for lost revenues through the remainder of the summer travel season, while at the same time protecting the health and safety of themselves and their families, their employees, and residents.
Is this the case of one forward-thinking community sacrificing short-term gain for the long-term health of its community and its tourism industry? Or is it a sign of bigger things to come in the form of more widespread travel quarantines throughout the country for out-of-area visitors, formal bans or travel restrictions, fines for non-compliance, and other penalties and sanctions?
In this case, we think both scenarios may be true.
The destination marketer in us desperately wants to believe that travel and safety can coexist. But as residents of a tourist town, the realist in us knows that not all visitors share the same respect for a destination as the people who call it home. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that many local residents also struggle to practice proper pandemic etiquette.
It’s a difficult problem to solve even under the clearest of circumstances. These decisions are particularly challenging at the community level, and are much easier to follow (though no less difficult to swallow) when mandated by or handed down from state or federal agencies. Regardless, it’s a storyline that we have been helping several destinations prepare for and navigate as visitor numbers increase and case numbers show no signs of slowing down. It’s a textbook moral dilemma, and one that is coming soon – if it hasn’t already – to a destination near you.
OSCRTN MEETING
November 7, 2019
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PUTTING THE NETWORK PUZZLE TOGETHER!
The Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) has finalized their strategic plan for the 2019-2021 biennium and the plan has been approved by Travel Oregon.
OCVA’s strategy for the coast plan was driven by stakeholder feedback that included a stakeholder survey and an additional opportunity for public input on draft plans. The result is a wide breadth of exciting programming that includes a vision and action plan for marketing the coast, sales, development, partnerships and regional grants and direct investments.
OCVA and Travel Oregon gave us an overview of their organizations. OCVA presented a deeper dive into their strategies in sales, marketing, destination development and strategic partnerships and highlighted how the South Coast can leverage their work.
Meeting Agenda
View OCVA’s plan here.
The Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) has finalized their strategic plan for the 2019-2021 biennium and the plan has been approved by Travel Oregon.
OCVA’s strategy for the coast plan was driven by stakeholder feedback that included a stakeholder survey and an additional opportunity for public input on draft plans. The result is a wide breadth of exciting programming that includes a vision and action plan for marketing the coast, sales, development, partnerships and regional grants and direct investments.
OCVA and Travel Oregon gave us an overview of their organizations. OCVA presented a deeper dive into their strategies in sales, marketing, destination development and strategic partnerships and highlighted how the South Coast can leverage their work.
Meeting Agenda
View OCVA’s plan here.
OSCRTN MEETING
September 19, 2019
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SWIMMING WITH THE NETWORK!
This meeting was all about the Next Steps. We invited Holly Macfee from Lookout consulting to join us as well as Andrew Grossmann from Travel Oregon.
Travel Southern Oregon Coast hired Holly a year ago to help develop a strategic marketing plan for the South Coast. We are now gearing up to launch our marketing efforts, and Holly shared the importance of collaborating together as a regional destination under one brand, and what's in store for marketing the south coast over the coming year.
Andrew shared with the benefits of partnering with Travel Oregon on Southern Oregon Coast web landing page, the visitor life cycle and a preview of www.travelsouthernoregoncoast.com.
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Strategic Marketing Plan
Travel Southern Oregon Coast Landing Page
Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail
Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve
This meeting was all about the Next Steps. We invited Holly Macfee from Lookout consulting to join us as well as Andrew Grossmann from Travel Oregon.
Travel Southern Oregon Coast hired Holly a year ago to help develop a strategic marketing plan for the South Coast. We are now gearing up to launch our marketing efforts, and Holly shared the importance of collaborating together as a regional destination under one brand, and what's in store for marketing the south coast over the coming year.
Andrew shared with the benefits of partnering with Travel Oregon on Southern Oregon Coast web landing page, the visitor life cycle and a preview of www.travelsouthernoregoncoast.com.
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Strategic Marketing Plan
Travel Southern Oregon Coast Landing Page
Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail
Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve
OSCRTN MEETING
May 15, 2019
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GROWING WITH THE NETWORK!
A lot has been happening with branding and marketing the South Coast and good deal of the meeting was spent updating the Network on the process. We brought back branding and marketing expert Holly Macfee from Lookout consulting to walk us through the Travel Southern Oregon Coast strategic marketing highlights and to unveil the new South Coast logo.
The Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association (OCVA) joined us as well to update us on their coast wide marketing plan and how it weaves in with and compliments the South Coast’s plan. We even got a look at OCVA’s new refreshed look!
Documents pertaining to the meeting can be found below:
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Branding
Strategic Marketing Plan
Travel & Adventure Trade Show
A lot has been happening with branding and marketing the South Coast and good deal of the meeting was spent updating the Network on the process. We brought back branding and marketing expert Holly Macfee from Lookout consulting to walk us through the Travel Southern Oregon Coast strategic marketing highlights and to unveil the new South Coast logo.
The Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association (OCVA) joined us as well to update us on their coast wide marketing plan and how it weaves in with and compliments the South Coast’s plan. We even got a look at OCVA’s new refreshed look!
Documents pertaining to the meeting can be found below:
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Branding
Strategic Marketing Plan
Travel & Adventure Trade Show
OSCRTN MEETING
February 13, 2019
February 13, 2019
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The network meeting focused on outdoor recreation state wide and regionally. Document pertaining to the meeting can be found below:
Meeting Agenda
Tourism Cheat Sheet
Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative
Give and Get's
Survey Results
Meeting Agenda
Tourism Cheat Sheet
Oregon Outdoor Recreation Initiative
Give and Get's
Survey Results
OSCRTN MEETING
November 7, 2018
November 7, 2018
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The network meeting focused on branding the South Coast region and what meant to our individual community branding. Documents pertaining to the meeting can be found below:
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Survey Results
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Survey Results
OSCRTN MEETING
August 8, 2018
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The network met for the first time with Julie Miller in the Network Manager role. The meeting was a success and documents pertaining to the meeting can be found below:
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Regional Tourism Roles Defined
Survey Results
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes
Regional Tourism Roles Defined
Survey Results
NETWORK MANAGER HIRED
April 23, 2018
The hiring team (composed of various network and core team members) are excited to announce that Julie Miller was offered the Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network Manager position and she has accepted! The core team is working out the final logistics and details for her official start day of May 14th. We look forward to the impact she will make on the South Coast!
NETWORK MANAGER JOB POSTING
January 29, 2018
The Network Manager job posting for The Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network is live! The OSCRTN is looking for a smart, spirited and capable individual who can help continue to build a cohesive, resilient network that supports the mission of the OSCRTN. The role of the a Network Manager is not to run an organization. Instead, the role is designed to help the network convene, connect, communicate, coordinate and collaborate around its shared purpose. A primary goal for the OSCRTN is to continually cultivate trust amongst its members.
Applications for the position will be accepted until February 23 at midnight PT.
To learn more about the position go to our Apply tab.
Applications for the position will be accepted until February 23 at midnight PT.
To learn more about the position go to our Apply tab.
NETWORK MEETING SUMMARY
November 8, 2017
On November 8, the network's active partners reconvened in Bandon to share updates and the core team presented several documents; the Primary Purpose & Objectives of the network, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a network coordinator job description, and an estimated budget. The documents were well received, but the group did have some concerns. There was an honest conversation regarding a network coordinator without initial job metrics. People wanted to know that after one to two years, there would be data that could show the degree of success the network coordinator had fulfilled. An additional concern that came up was educating others who have not gotten on board with the network concept. Money is a concerning factor for some organizations, and it is hard to convey that the amount of money invested does not get someone a better seat at the table. Time is what is extremely valued in this network and everyone has a right to a seat at the table. The core team took the feedback they received and edited the Memorandum of Understanding document to reflect those concerns. The network's active partners gave the core team encouragement to further pursue hiring a network coordinator.
CREATION OF SOUTH COAST TOURISM NETWORK
September 19, 2017
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On September 19, Travel Oregon supported a meeting for the the south coast by bringing in David Sawyer, with Converge for Impact, to facilitate a collaborative discussion. It was becoming clear after the completion of both Rural Tourism Studios in the Wild Rivers Coast and the Southern Oregon Coast, as well as other developments, that there was a lot of momentum around local tourism development in Coos, Curry and coastal Douglas Counties. The need was surfacing to convene a group conversation with regional tourism leaders about how to best support and align these efforts going forward.
After a full day of conversation, regional leaders decided to support this new network framework, as seen in the diagram to the left. They formed a 'core team' that comprised of five members representing different parts of the region. The core team members decided on were Joe Benetti with the City of Coos Bay, Sam Baugh with the South Coast Development Council, Marie Simonds with the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, Katherine Hoppe with the Mills Casino and Miles Phillips with OSU Extension Offices. The network coordinator position would be filled in the interim by Elizabeth Gronert, a RARE AmeriCorps member working with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association. This core team was to move forward (in collaboration with the network) with various tasks, like creating the primary purpose and objectives of the network, a memorandum of understanding and pursue a full time network coordinator. |