Weak Dollar Boost Foreign Tourism in Southern Oregon
Money may be tight, but foreign tourist dollars are pouring into southern Oregon, thanks in part to the weak U.S. dollar.
The Southern Oregon Visitors Association (SOVA) has increased spending on advertisements in other countries in the hopes that foreign tourists will increase spending here in Southern Oregon.
During the past three years SOVA has doubled their international ad budget. They say they're trying to lure foreign tourists with shopping, sight seeing and the region's many outdoor activities.
They're targeting countries like Germany where many people get up to six weeks of vacation time.
"In the best possible way we can say America is for sale right now. And that's because the value of the dollar verses the value of the euro. So this is really a great time for us to be marketing in Europe," says SOVA CEO Carolyn Hill.
According to Travel Oregon, Germans make up the bulk of the state's tourists, followed by visitors from the United Kingdom and Japan.
Hill says the number one tourist attraction in Southern Oregon is Crater Lake. Of the international tourists they've surveyed, most say they spend their time here sight seeing, hiking, and shopping.
The Portland International Airport has seen a 13 percent increase in international tourists during the past year. Hill says many of those tourists make their way to Southern Oregon.
