Travel Portland, formerly the Portland Oregon Visitors Association, is a destination marketing organization in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 1978, it is a private, nonprofit organization and the largest destination marketing organization in Oregon. Travel Portland has operated visitor centers at Pioneer Courthouse Square and Director Park in downtown Portland, and has an office in the First & Main building.
Travel Portland's tourism campaigns have featured the nation's largest free-standing cuckoo clock, stop motion and other animated videos, and Mr. Dude, a Bigfoot-like mascot to market the city to Japanese tourists. The organization has also offered dining promotions and funded beautification projects such as murals and other art installations throughout the city.
History The private, nonprofit organization was established in 1978. In 1992, The Oregonian said the Portland Oregon Visitors Association (POVA) was "contracted by the city of Portland to market and promote tourism and conventions in the city" and "recruits conventions by calling organizations and making information on Portland-area services available".
POVA filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Convention and Visitors Services Network in 1992, "alleging that the sound-alike names were causing confusion and costing the association money by intercepting business intended for the association". POVA had approximately 1,000 members in 1998.
In September 2001, the computer worm known as Nimda disabled POVA's servers for less than 48 hours, temporarily limiting employee access to email and stored files. In 2004, POVA received a Governor's Film Advocate of the Year award as part of the Oregon State Film and Video Office's Industry Leaders Awards.
POVA became known as Travel Portland in January 2008. The rebrand included a new logo and website redesign. In 2011, Travel Portland was among the nation's only tourism organizations with a public relations manager "dedicated solely to promoting environmentally responsible travel", according to Fodor's.
Oregon Business said in 2024, "Travel Portland's budget is made up of 1% of Portland's tourism tax revenue as well as a 3% hotel tax and a $4 million contract with the convention center. Funded as it is by tourism dollars, the organization's fortunes rise and fall with the crowds. Prior to the pandemic, Travel Portland employed 76 people with a budget of $30 million. COVID cut those figures to 38 employees and a $8.5 million budget. The budget's now back at $30 million with 72 staff members."
Leadership In 1998, Judy Rice was the "immediate past" chair of the board of directors. In 2000, Brian McCartin was the chair. Pat LaCrosse was elected chair for 2000–2001. In 2002, Craig Thompson was a past chair, Suzanne Miller was the chair, and Brad Hutton was chair-elect.
Tom Kennedy was the organization's director in 1982. Charles Ahlers was the executive director in 1991–1992.Charles Ahlers:
Richard Ransome was a director and past president in 1993. Gary Grimmer was the executive director in 1995.Gary Grimmer:
Sho Dozono and Bruce Fery have been the organization's presidents.Sho Dozono:
Joe D'Alessandro was Travel Portland's president and chief executive officer (CEO) from 1996 to 2006.Joe D'Alessandro: According to the Bay Area Reporter, he is believed to be the nation's first openly gay man to lead a visitors bureau. Carol J. Lentz was an interim president in 2006, until Jeff Miller was selected in October. He held the president and CEO role until late 2024. Megan Conway became the CEO and president on January 1, 2025.Megan Conway:
Visitor centers and offices
Travel Portland operates the Portland Visitor Center in the West End of downtown Portland. It previously had a glass kiosk at Director Park. It also ran the Travel Portland Visitor Information Center (previously called Portland Oregon Visitors Association Information Center) on the Southwest Broadway side of Pioneer Courthouse Square, where it shared space with TriMet.
Following a $2.7 million renovation, the lobby at Pioneer Courthouse Square became a full-service visitor center in June 2001. POVA's Ticket Central outlet began operating at the visitor center. Previously, POVA and Ticket Central operated at the World Trade Center on Front Avenue. The visitor center at Pioneer Courthouse Square saw 40,665 people in June 2001, a 198 percent increase from June 2000. The lobby saw 207,782 visitors during June–September 2001, a 157 percent increase from 80,890 visitors during the same months in 2000. The renovation also included a remodeled TriMet counter, a theater, and restroom improvements. In 2002, the visitor center was leaking and required extensive repairs. The Oregonian reported, "large plastic sheets are tacked to the ceiling below the skylights and covering tourist brochures in a display case at the [POVA] counter. Water is pooling in the ceiling sheets over employees' heads and computers. Big plastic buckets and tubs are placed on the floor in spots where water drips constantly."
Travel Portland's office is in the First & Main building. As of 2010, its offices were at 1000 Southwest Broadway.
Campaigns and projects In 1985, POVA collaborated with the Port of Portland and tourism officials in Oregon and Washington to bring Japanese tourists to the Pacific Northwest. The organization has also promoted Portland to industry travel planners in Europe and other parts of the U.S. In the 1990s, POVA was a major contributor to the Travel Industry Council of Oregon. POVA co-sponsored astronaut Richard O. Covey's publicity tour of Portland. POVA was among groups opposing 1994 Oregon Ballot Measure 13, which focused on restricting LGBTQ rights in public education.1994 Oregon Ballot Measure 13:
In 1998, POVA installed a live camera at Pittock Mansion, offering views of downtown Portland and Mount Hood on clear days. POVA also produced an album called Sounds of Portland in collaboration with KXL-FM and other companies. The album featured fourteen local musicians and raised funds for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and music programs in local schools.Sounds of Portland:
Fareless Square was also expanded to cover the Lloyd District, Oregon Convention Center (OCC), and Rose Quarter as part of an agreement between the city, Multnomah County, Metro, the Tri-County Lodging Association, national rental car companies, and POVA.Fareless Square expansion: Additionally, the Oregon Legislative Assembly amended state law to exempt trade shows from a ban on vendors displaying slot machines and video lottery terminals outside Oregon Lottery and tribal casinos, based on a request from POVA and the Oregon Tourism Commission; the reversal allowed Portland to host an Indian Gaming Association convention at the OCC in 2000.
In 2000, POVA helped fund a task force to improve east Multnomah County tourism. Mayor Vera Katz announced the formation of the Pacific Gateway Alliance in 2001; the agreement between the cities and ports of Portland and Vancouver, Washington, as well as POVA and the Portland Development Commission, was created to "promote our companies to the world as never before, with the goal of creating new markets for exports, tourism and business investment". Katz said the alliance would "support local efforts such as deepening the Columbia River navigation channel while complementing our environmental clean-up in the Portland harbor".
In 2001, The Oregonian said POVA's annual "Big Deal" campaign historically promoted Portland tourism in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington from October through May. POVA spent $120,000 on the campaign starting in October 2001, which was more focused on Oregon and Washington than in past years. In the early 2000s, POVA used the slogan "It's not easy being green" to acknowledge the Portland area's forests and rain. POVA had previously tried to avoid acknowledgment of rainy weather, but by 2004, the organization was using imagery to appreciate rain. POVA's promotional video featured Allow Me, John Seward Johnson II's 1983 bronze sculpture at Pioneer Courthouse Square of a man holding an umbrella, and the organization used business cards depicting raindrops. After the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival's relaunch and second festival by new leadership in 2003, POVA helped organizers acquire a $25,000 contribution from Multnomah County's hotel and motel tax. The organization also offered 25 percent discounts on Amtrak service between Eugene and Vancouver.
In 2005, POVA was among the sponsors of a fundraiser organized by the Portland Business Alliance to help mayor Tom Potter and commissioner Sam Adams pay off political campaign debts. In mid-2005, POVA supported the potential use of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger to become a local memorial and museum. POVA, Mercy Corps, Qwest, and VH1 collaborated with the Portland Jazz Festival to secure temporary housing for New Orleans-based jazz musicians, agents, and promoters following Hurricane Katrina (2005).
POVA has advocated for the construction of a hotel large enough to host conventions. In 2006, The Oregonian said POVA and Gordon Sondland of Aspen Investments of Portland "pushed for a minimum of 400 rooms, which would require less public subsidy". POVA, U.S. Bank, and other organizations sponsored Portland: The View from Here, a pictorial biography by photographer Robert Reynolds, in 2006. Melissa Jones of The Oregonian said the project "[became] popular with businesses looking to impress prospective employees, clients and visitors". In 2007, the newspaper said POVA "dangles the story" of Portland's Shanghai tunnels "as a lure to out-of-towners" and "concentrates on selling not only the city, but also its proximity to adventure".
In 2014, Travel Portland launched a winter tourism campaign by installing a 7,000-pound, tall cuckoo clock carved from an Oregon maple tree at Portland International Airport after visits to Seattle and Vancouver. Dubbed the nation's tallest freestanding cuckoo clock, the clock was disassembled in late 2016. Travel Portland launched an animated advertising campaign in 2015 and a campaign featuring the Bondi Hipsters in 2017. It had a stop motion campaign during 2017–2018, in collaboration with the studio House Special and Wieden+Kennedy. In 2019, Travel Portland, the city, and the Portland Business Alliance offered deals and free parking to make up for revenue lost during protests. In 2021, Travel Portland placed an advertisement in The New York Times and other major newspapers. The "This Is Portland" campaign received a mixed reaction.
Delegations In September 2001, following the September 11 attacks, POVA supported a delegation led by Dozono to visit New York City. Other supporters of the "Flight for Freedom" included the city of Eugene and the Bend Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Port of Portland, Portland State University, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. More than 500 people signed up to join the delegation, including Katz, Eugene's mayor Jim Torrey, state senator Margaret Carter, Ron Saxton, representatives from Portland Public Schools and the Urban League of Portland, and other business and community leaders. According to The Oregonian, the delegation "captured the attention of New York media", and Katz and others were scheduled to appear on the television programs Today and NBC Nightly News.
POVA representatives were also part of a 50-member delegation to travel to Sapporo, one of Portland's sister cities, with Potter in early 2005.
Dining, hotel, and shopping campaigns In late 2005, POVA, the city of Portland, and the Portland Business Alliance's Downtown Retail Council launched an advertising campaign for the holiday season to promote shopping in downtown Portland. The campaign included events, a website, and "green-clad sidewalk ambassadors with handheld computers to answer questions".