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Kayakers paddle red kayaks in a flowing river, wearing life vests. The setting is a sunny, grassy riverbank with lush trees in the background. Text on kayaks reads: "South Coast Tours LLC."
Kayaking by Justin Myers

Southern Oregon Coast

Rural Tourism Studio

The Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio focused on the communities of Coos County and coastal Douglas County, including Reedsport, Winchester Bay, Lakeside, North Bend, Coos Bay, Charleston, Bandon and the communities of the Coquille River Valley.

The Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio was developed in response to the destination’s desire to harness local tourism assets and develop a shared tourism vision for the region. The communities had existing strengths in agritourism, adventure travel and outdoor recreation, and the studio helped attendees develop a common vision for the future and operationalize their next steps.

Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio highlights:

  • 123 local tourism stakeholders and residents participated in six workshops between January and April 2017. Workshop topics included Community Visioning, Adventure Travel and Outdoor Recreation, Culinary and Agritourism, Tourism Marketing and Tourism Action Planning. Workshop notes, presentations, outreach materials and other resources are available on the Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio Resources page.
  • Participants developed a 15-Year Community Tourism Vision for the Southern Oregon Coast.

Studio Outcomes & Success Stories

  • Through a series of Oregon Tourism Studios and collaborative projects, this sub-region was able to embrace the idea that they are stronger together than they are as individual communities. Together, they created the Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network (OSCRTN) that regionally collaborates to enhance economic development through sustainable tourism. As a rural area, they are interested in sharing the raw beauty of their region in a way that is respectful to the environment and those who call it home. The network is intentional about leveraging relationships, opportunities and dollars.
  • The 2019 Oregon Tourism Innovative Partnership Award at the Governor’s Conference went to the Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network. This award recognizes organizations or businesses that have successfully entered into a traditional or non-traditional partnership that resulted in an enhanced visitor experience. The cities on the Southern Oregon Coast – from Brookings to Reedsport and inland through the Oregon Coast Range – are breaking new ground when it comes to partnerships and collaboration.
  • In 2019, the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) worked with Lookout Co. to develop a new brand for the Oregon Coast region. As part of this effort, OCVA worked with Travel Southern Oregon Coast (TSOC) to develop a sub-regional brand for the South Coast that it can use on its public materials moving forward. This is the first brand identity for TSOC.
  • The Southern Oregon Coast community received a $20,000 Tourism Studio Matching Grant from Travel Oregon to implement projects related to bicycle tourism, culinary and agritourism and tourism marketing in 2017.

For more information about the Southern Oregon Coast Rural Tourism Studio, contact Julie Miller at the Oregon South Coast Regional Tourism Network.

Rural Tourism Studio

Workshops that help rural communities develop and offer high-value, authentic experiences to travelers—in a sustainable, manageable way.

Travel Oregon offers Rural Tourism Studios to help communities build their appeal as visitor destinations with on-the-ground guidance, training and support tailored to each destination’s unique offerings.

Learn more about the Rural Tourism Studio program and the Application Process.