Visitors still frequenting the region — but not necessarily for winter activities.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
It’s been another warm winter in the Pacific Northwest with ski areas reporting an abysmally low snowpack throughout the season.
But that hasn’t slowed the tourism economy in Central Oregon, an industry official says.
The Bend Bulletin reports that visitors are choosing spring activities earlier in the year to keep the economy propped up:
The association’s tools for tracking visitors to the region bear out [CEO of the Central Oregon Visitors Association] Alana Hughson’s claim [that business and revenue have been up over prior years]. While the numbers for January and February are not available yet, hotels and resorts in Deschutes County saw a higher occupancy rate in December than they did the previous year, and a noticeable uptick in revenue per available room.
Since early January, however, Bend has seen minimal snow and high temperatures that have been more than 7 degrees above average, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. Because of the warm weather, traditional winter options haven’t been as accessible. … Smith Rock State Park traditionally gets most of its visitors during warmer parts of the year, said Scott Brown, park manager. He said the park’s 400 parking spots were completely filled during a couple weekends in January and February.
A sign of winter-activities’ struggles: Before President’s Day weekend, Mt. Bachelor’s spokesperson was forced to tout the mountain’s fake snow machine to try to attract visitors.
