Miller’s two-decade career coincided with a period of tremendous growth in tourism to Portland.
Tourists spend billions in Portland’s restaurants, hotels and other businesses — specifically, $5.4 billion in direct spending in the metro area in 2023. And for the past two decades, Jeff Miller has had as much to do with getting them here as anyone save perhaps “Portlandia” stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.
Later this year, Miller will step down as director of Travel Portland after 19 years helming the city’s destination marketing agency. That period saw explosive growth though the ride wasn’t all smooth, especially 2020-22. He’ll serve until the end of the year. A successor has not yet been selected.
Miller, 65, grew up in the small town of Bristol, Tennessee. He worked in retail for 25 years including for heavy hitters Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue until he moved to Portland in the 1990s to manage the Saks location at the current site of the Apple Store. He says his time there taught him the power of tourism. It was also when he joined the board of directors of Travel Portland, then called POVA, or the Portland Oregon Vacation Association.
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.
In Miller’s tenure, the agency rolled out a food-finding app, regular events to connect minority business owners and a number of eye-catching and apparently effective marketing campaigns, including “Portland is Happening Now,” and the current, “Portland. Yours to Share,” which Miller says is driving record numbers to Travel Portland’s website.
There’s more evidence of Portland’s restored appeal. Last year, visitor spending topped $14 billion statewide for the first time. And the National Education Association recently chose Portland to host its 2025 annual convention. With 12,000 expected visitors, it’s predicted to be the largest convention in Portland’s history.
This month, Miller sat for an exit interview at Travel Portland’s office on the 11th floor of First and Main downtown, where he talked “Portlandia,” the city’s considerable Japanese fanbase, beer, berries and fun.
This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Has Portland lost some of its luster with the traveling public?
I would say the luster is returning. It’s changing. I think we really stepped up during the protests of George Floyd’s murder, which was different from the riots. We try to make sure people are aware those are two separate things. But if Portland can make this a more equitable destination for everyone to thrive, we will be a better version of Portland than we were before.
What are you hearing about open drug use — is it repelling tourists?
It was more of a problem in the past than it is now. One of the things we’ve done is we bring meeting planners here. We brought Sports ETA, which is a large convention of sports rights holders. We spent a lot of money to bring these people here to see Portland. A lot of them are from the South. And the last time, we got three apologies; they thought Portland is the most amazing city they’ve ever been to.
What have been some of the most effective ways to promote Portland?
On the convention side, it’s still getting people to see Portland. One thing they say is, when people get here for the first time, they say, “Now I get it.” You know, we don’t have a Space Needle. We don’t really have that iconic thing — other than Mt. Hood, but that’s not in Portland.
But we have this aura, this thing you hear about Portland. And when you get here, you get it. The people are nice. There’s beer that you’re going to like. There’s this collaborative spirit that I don’t think happens as much in any other city.
Where do Portland tourists come from and how has that changed in your time here?
It’s a broad section of people. One thing we say at Travel Portland is that Portland has progressive values, and we think that when you come to Portland, those change you. So I’d say it’s probably a person with an interest in community, a person with an interest in values and in meeting people. And nature. All things natural, really. And culinary is the number one driver of visitation. Because we know we got good food. So they come for food and the access to nature.
What about internationally?
Australia’s still a really good market for us. Germany. The U.K. Anywhere with direct flights.
Has technology affected tourist behavior in the past two decades? I’m thinking of apps and the like.
Absolutely. We have an app called Near Me Now that I’m so incredibly proud of our team for creating. I used it yesterday, as a matter of fact. It uses geolocation, and there are points on a map of where to eat. We have a food cart finder that’s amazing.
Travel Portland represents a wide array of interests, and many of those interests are represented on your board of directors. How does one lead a group so diverse?
It’s about making sure everybody comes together for a common purpose, and that is to create economic impact through tourism.
I think that one thing that people don’t understand is that Travel Portland is an economic development agency. We happen to do it through attracting tourists as well as a lot of other fun stuff. But you know, everyone on that board is interested in having more visitors come here to make more businesses successful, to hire more people, to get the word out about Portland through products and services and beer and berries and fun.
Your time at Travel Portland has coincided with tremendous growth in tourism. What do you attribute that to? How much of a factor was the show “Portlandia”?
I’ve heard that “Portlandia” played a role. But you know, as far back as 40 years ago, there was a TV show in Japan called From Oregon with Love. And today, Portland has a huge fanbase in Japan. Huge. There’s a group that comes over every year.
And culinary’s been a big driver. We’ve gotten huge press over the years for food carts, fine dining and others.
I think there are lots of things that build toward attracting people to a place that’s a little different than anyplace else they’ve been.
What are you most proud of at Travel Portland?
I think our DEI efforts. I’m a champion of it but our whole team has embraced it.
Travel Portland and Prosper Portland created My People’s Market as a way for us to support BIPOC communities and small entrepreneurs who are trying to start a business. That’s why we punch well above our weight in attracting multicultural conventions.
What’s your biggest regret?
That I didn’t get the job sooner. Laughs.
One thing I will say is that when I first took this job, it was much more about sales and marketing and through the pandemic, it’s become politics and finance. We are at the table now, talking to our elected and appointed leaders about homelessness, the drug crisis, all the things.
What’s the biggest misconception about Portland?
That Portland is the whitest city in the country. That’s a huge misconception right there.
It’s whiter than many other cities. But when that phrase gets used, it negates all the people here from multicultural backgrounds, and we can’t do that. I mean just walk down the street — we are a diverse city! I don’t care what you say. Lumping us in with the whitest cities in America, it really infuriates me.
Really now, what do you think of Seattle?
I think Seattle is an amazing city. Truly. The CEO there [Visit Seattle head Tammy Blount-Canavan] is a dear friend and they do a lot of really cool things. We’re good partners. We collaborate, especially on the international side. We compete fiercely on conventions. Laughs.
What Portland feature do you recommend to travelers, every time?
The Portland Japanese Garden. I live right below it and I love it.
What’s at the top of your travel destination list?
I’m taking my husband to Tokyo. He’s very afraid of sushi, so I’m excited to take him there.
What’s a good piece of travel advice?
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