Eight coastal organizations win economic recovery grants from Travel Oregon

Eight coastal organizations — including three in Lincoln County — have won grants ranging from $1,400 to $100,000 as part of Travel Oregon’s disbursement of $2.4 million in grants for economic recovery for projects that enhance and expand the visitor experience and prepare communities and visitors for COVID-19 safe travel.

Travel Oregon received more than 400 applications with requests totaling more than $18 million.

“These projects directly support Oregon’s tourism economy, from iconic Oregon attractions like the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, to outdoor trail development, to retrofitting outdoor events to meet public health standards,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “Many of these entities have been closed or were unable to hold their event in the last year because of Covid. Our goal is to support these businesses, events and attractions as they operate safely, restore vibrancy and create economic stability in communities across the state.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted Oregon’s tourism economy. Dean Runyan & Associates’ preliminary economic impact for 2020 says Oregon’s employment related to travel declined by 22.1 percent and total travel spending declined 49.5 percent from $12.8 billion in 2019 to $6.5 billion last year.

Coastal organizations that won grants were:

• Astoria Downtown Historic District Association ($18,500) to support local restaurants and attractions by providing amenities that create safe and welcoming outdoor spaces;
• City of Lincoln City ($11,430) for more signs to increase visitor use and engagement on local trails;
• City of Seaside Visitors Bureau ($14,000) to install interpretive signs along Seaside’s historic promenade;
• City of Toledo ($49,000) to launch a three-phased project that includes an outdoor dining program, main street beautification and signs;
• Coos County ($100,000) to construct five miles of trail, improve physical distancing by building one-way loops and increasing signs on the Whiskey Run Trail system on the southern Oregon coast;
• Newport Trail Stewards ($79,500) for the first phase of a project that will construct a series of multi-use and bike-specific trails, improve parking access, add restrooms and install signs at the Big Creek Trail system in Newport;
• Tillamook County Fairgrounds ($5,639) for signs, event information and safety messaging;
• Tillamook County Pioneer Museum ($1,430) for trail improvements and sign replacement at Kilchis Point.