PROVIDING NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Examining the Impacts of Travel & Tourism During The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County Forum Forum with T.J. Holmes, Senior Vice President, Travel Medford; Ashley Cates, Chief Marketing Officer, Travel Medford; Angela Wood, Director of Sports Development, Travel Medford; Maclayne De Mello, Community Partnership
Coordinator, Travel Medford Sponsored by: Travel Medford W ith summer arriving in Southern Oregon, the May Forum embraced the season and discussed travel and tourism in the region. Travel Medford amplifies the local economy through destination marketing. The Forum presentation focused on how Travel Medford uses detailed marketing metrics in their campaigns to bring in more visitors, how sports tourism drives economic development, the success of past events, and upcoming festivals. T.J. Holmes, Senior Vice President of Travel Medford, provided a bird’s-eye view of Travel Medford’s work. “Travel Medford is a department within The Chamber and promotes our area to visitors,” he said; they do this by increasing hotel occupancy and enhancing the visitor experience. When visitors stay in a local hotel, they pay a transient
lodging tax, explained Holmes. This tax, also known as TLT, helps pay for programs that benefit visitors and locals. TLT numbers have fluctuated because of the pandemic; they were down 9% in 2020, up 25% in 2021 and increased 35% in 2022. Numbers are trending upward as people are traveling again. Travel Medford’s work also impacts the local economy. In 2021, $1.2 billion was spent on tourism in Southern Oregon, which equated to 5,000 local hospitality jobs. Next, Ashley Cates, Chief Marketing Officer for Travel Medford, discussed how she uses data-rich platforms to gather visitor data and craft campaigns around that information. “We are able to see people’s incomes, why they come to Medford, what they do here, and so much more,” she said.
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The Business Review | June 2023
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