Register March 15, 2024
How Tourism Protects “Food From The Sea” on The People’s Coast.
Did you know that Oregon is internationally known as a culinary and “foodie” destination attracting millions of visitors each year? Oregon’s tourism community cares deeply about it’s relationship with people, place and the profit it generates.
Visitors to the Oregon Coast alone spend about $840,000,000 each year on food and food services, who arguably expect to experience locally-landed seafood. However, a recent authoritative study has concluded that 90% of the seafood sold and consumed along the Oregon Coast – for both visitors and residents – is not from Oregon at all. This means the ‘economic leakage’ to our local economy equates to hundreds of millions of dollars each year because seafood inventory is restocked from international and distant domestic sources.
Information will be shared on OCVA’s current investments in our regional food system capacity spanning future workforce, technical assistance, distribution, physical infrastructure, marketing and public education. We welcome you to attend this discussion to explore ideas and field questions about how Oregon’s tourism industry can contribute to solutions, in partnership with other agencies and allies.
The People’s Coast is one of Oregon’s 7 tourism regions and managed by The Oregon Coast Visitors Association, as appointed by the Oregon Tourism Commission, DBA Travel Oregon.
Marcus Hinz, is the Executive Director of the Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association. He offers considerable experience with community visioning, strategic planning, organizational management, public affairs, inter-jurisdictional coordination of community driven projects and private sector oriented solutions to current day issues.
His entrepreneurial nature continues to informed and contributed to a diversity of successful projects spanning public, private and non-profit sectors.