This year promises to be bigger than ever, as we celebrate Washington County’s tourism industry and all the hard work you do. In addition to the contributions of the WCVA’s board of directors and committees, we will be recognizing stakeholders who have shown great commitment to our local tourism industry.

See the list of this year’s nominees. Winners will be announced at this year’s annual Stakeholder Appreciation Luncheon, May 11.

Miss the latest issue of our newsletter specifically for industry and toursim partners, “Washington County at Work”? Read the May 2012 issue.

This is a different guide than in years past; its magazine-style look and feel is aimed at giving readers a sense of place and an insider’s look at what to do and see when visiting. This edition is divided into several easy-to-navigate major categories, and will inspire travelers to explore Oregon’s Washington County.

Additional details make the listings even more user-friendly, with a breakdown of restaurants by city, then divided by type of cuisine. An updated matrix shows all area hotels, bed & breakfasts and camping/RV parks and amenity details such as “pet friendly” and “outdoor pool.”

If you’re interested in having guides available at your place of business, please drop us an email for a complimentary box of guides. Also, the WCVA provides local business–free of charge–other helpful tools for visitors, including a brochure outlining the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, Washington County Map, Bike Map and Recreational Map.

A resident of Nags Head, North Carolina, Ms. McCormick brings to Oregon’s Washington County 24 years of tourism experience. She previously served as CEO of the Outer Banks Convention and Visitors Bureau, a position she held for 12 years. Under her leadership, the Outer Banks grew from a little-known regional destination to a top-tier leisure travel destination with an annual visitation of more than 5 million visitors from 50 countries.

“Ms. McCormick brings a jolt of passion and extensive knowledge of the tourism industry, which will help propel Washington County to new heights as a tourism destination,” said Teri Koerner, chair of the WCVA’s board of directors.

She has long championed environmental issues, and led efforts to protect the Eastern Seaboard, as well as created sustainable tourism initiatives to preserve land and create multi-use, pedestrian-friendly pathways. Most recently, Ms. McCormick served as advising consultant for the non-profit Eastern Seaboard Trust, founded by award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long.

Previously in her career, McCormick served as executive director of the Lake County, Indiana Convention and Visitor Bureau; deputy director of tourism, film and sports for the State of Indiana; and managing director of culture, leisure and recreation services for the city of Lubbock, Texas.

Ms. McCormick starts her new position on March 15, 2012.

Funds are allocated annually for the purpose of tourism development, including product development and out-of-area marketing, and are awarded for projects, events and programs that have the potential to attract and draw tourists from at least 50 miles outside of Washington County and the Greater Portland area.

Non-profit organizations and associations, sports and event planners and organizations, tourism groups, government entities and business associations operating in Washington County are eligible to apply. Funds will be awarded to tourism projects and/or programs that will be completed during fiscal year July 1, 2012 – June 15, 2013.

Applications will be judged based on the degree in which they match the WCVA’s target markets:
•    Athletic or competitive sporting events
•    Wine tourism
•    Nature-based tourism
•    Agri-tourism
•    Arts and culture

Application packets, including complete rules and guidelines and sample grant agreement are now available online. You may also request an application by calling 503-644-5555.

Completed applications must be received by the WCVA by 4 p.m., Thursday, March 15, 2012. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted (no exceptions).

The grants are not intended to be an ongoing subsidy, and eligible programs and/or events must be open to the public.

The creation of tourism development funds supports the initiatives that were set forth in the organization’s “Tourism 2015” plan, which was developed in 2005 and outlined strategies to strengthen the region’s tourism industry.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY VISITORS ASSOCIATION
The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) is an accredited, not-for-profit destination marketing organization that serves the region’s tourism industry by actively promoting Washington County, Ore., as a destination for leisure and business travelers, and meeting, sports and events planners. The organization, which was established in 1983, is funded solely by a percentage of transient lodging taxes collected by lodging establishments in Washington County, Oregon. In addition to destination marketing, the WCVA supports tourism development, serves as an advocate for the tourism industry, and conducts annual research about the county’s tourism industry and its visitors. More information about the WCVA is available on our industry website.

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Dec. 6, 2011 — MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global, a subsidiary of MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRS) and leading interactive marketing company for the hospitality and travel industries, continues to expand its growth with the recent signing of the Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA), representing Oregon’s Washington County, as its latest destination marketing client. The Washington County Visitors Association has selected MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global to design, market and host websites dedicated to one of the nation’s premier wine destinations.

MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global is excited to work with this vibrant wine country destination and help the client achieve greater brand recognition. TIG Global will work with the WCVA to create easy-to-navigate layouts and enticing new methods for presenting interactive experiences. The design of the site will also include an intuitive content management system that allows the destination to add new activities, attractions and events at the touch of a button.

“The vision and high-quality product offered by MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global made it our top selection to create the new WCVA website,” says Sylke Neal-Finnegan, director of marketing and communications for the WCVA. ”MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global’s high-touch service and innovative ideas make it an ideal Internet marketing vendor.”

A bold and clean navigation will be implemented to guide users effortlessly through the WCVA website, which will showcase the myriad attractions available in Oregon’s Washington County. The rich photography and narrative will converge to create a truly enjoyable and enticing online atmosphere while further elevating Washington County’s reputation within the traveling community.

“We are thrilled and proud to partner with the Washington County Visitors Association and serve as its internet marketing agency of record on this exciting new initiative,” says Jos Schaap, President of MICROS eCommerce Services|TIG Global.

About the Washington County Visitors Association
Established in 1983, the Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) is an accredited, not-for-profit destination marketing organization that actively promotes Oregon’s Washington County as a destination for leisure and business travelers, and meeting, sports and events planners. Washington County is scenically situated between Portland and Oregon Coast and spans 727 square miles, offering world-class golf, award-winning wineries, an array of outdoor recreation and superb dining and shopping. For more information about the destination, visit www.VisitWashingtonCountyOregon.com, or call 503-644-5555, or toll-free, 800-537-3149.

About TIG Global
TIG Global, a subsidiary of MICROS Systems, Inc., is dedicated to assisting the travel industry with exceeding their online marketing goals. Serving an extensive portfolio of clients worldwide, TIG Global combines its industry knowledge and e-business expertise to help clients maximize the online channel. TIG Global offers multi-language websites, a vast network of internationally based strategic linking partners, email and pay-per-click marketing campaigns tailored to all international markets, custom social media solutions, and websites optimized for major search engines around the world. Visit the TIG Global website at www.tigglobal.com.

TIG Global has worked with various destination marketing associations to market similiar destinations, including the East Coast wine destination Loudoun County, Virginia. The company also has demonstrated experience working with the SimpleView customer relationship management (CRM) software, which the WCVA uses to feed listings to the website.

We are confident that TIG Global will design a website that will be engaging, and will inspire leisure and business travelers, as well as sports, tour, and meetings and event planners to choose Washington County as a travel destination.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions on how we can make oregonswashingtoncounty.com fulfill those goals.

List Your Property in Travel Oregon’s Official Visitor Guide

In addition to being listed in the WCVA’s official Washington County Visitor Guide, hotels in Washington County may also receive a listing in Travel Oregon’s Official Visitor Guide.  Listings must be updated by December 5, 2011.  Learn more and download forms here.

Learn More about How the WCVA Works with Hotel and Lodging Partners

On November 30th, the WCVA held a Sales Meeting for hotel and lodging sales directors and managers. Topics covered included the WCVA’s meetings, sports and group tour sales efforts, lead process, tracking referrals, state of the industry, marketing efforts and stakeholder development. Missed the meeting? Download the PowerPoint presentation here.

Does the jargon of tourism make your head spin? Do you hear acronyms and other foreign-sounding words on a day-to-day basis? You’re not alone. Even we at the WCVA have to pull out the handy dictionary from time to time.

We can help you sort out tourism’s own language, which will help when dealing with tour operators, destination marketing organizations, travel agents and other travel and tourism professionals.

Check out this glossary of tourism terms (PDF),  developed by the Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance, an organization whose mission is to increase the packaged travel business throughout the state, and written by Cynthia Billette, CTP.

So, the next time a tour operator or wholesaler asks how many pax are on a preformed group tour, and what is the confidential tariff for the group, you will know exactly what they mean!

Glossary courtesy of the Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance (OTTA) and Heather Anderson, tourism sales manager for the WCVA.

As a destination marketing organization, the Washington County Visitors Association knows that communication is key to keeping the WCVA and Oregon’s Washington County top of mind for Stakeholders, industry partners and consumers.

One way we do this is through the distribution of electronic newsletters, delivered directly to the e-mail inboxes of stakeholder and industry partners, as well as consumers who have opted-in to receive information from us.

“Washington County at Work” is distributed on or around the third Thursday of even-numbered months. Written for WCVA stakeholders and industry partners, the newsletter provides information about the WCVA and how we market Washington County to the public, tools to help stakeholders market their businesses, listings of upcoming events, and other relevant information.

Read the August/September 2011 issue of Washington County at Work.

“Washington County Explorer” is distributed on or around the third Thursday of odd-numbered months. Written for consumers and distributed to consumers and stakeholders/industry partners, this bimonthly newsletters provides seasonal information about what’s happening in Oregon’s Washington County. With a mix of information to fulfill both short- and long-range travel planning, the Washington County Explorer focuses on the three main consumer tourism attractors: wine, nature (outdoor recreation)  and shopping, as well as agritourism, events, sports and golf.

Read the July/August 2011 issue of Washington County Explorer.

According to the “2010 Washington County Travel Impacts,” prepared by Dean Runyan Associates, more than 2.6 million travelers visited Washington County in 2010, and visitor spending in Washington County reached $470 million, surpassing the record level of $454 million in 2008.

This is great news, considering that Washington County saw a decrease in visitation and tourism-related spending in 2009 and 2010. Thank you, Stakeholders, for helping make Washington County a great place to visit!

For more information:

• Tourism Matters Press release
• Dean Runyan Associates’ 2010 Washington County Travel Impacts report
• WCVA’s Annual Report (Fiscal Year 2010-11)
• The Oregonian article about the increases in business travel and tourism in Washington County