As summer starts, C.O. tourism industry sizzles

It appears Central Oregon has broken its second tourism record in a row for the Memorial Day holiday, according to a preliminary analysis conducted by the Central Oregon Visitors Association.

“(Resort and long-term stays) went up anywhere from 3 to 10 percent,” said COVA President and CEO Alana Hughson Tuesday. “Vacation homes were nearly 100 percent sold out… and all the lodging providers are telling us they were able to increase the average daily rate by a bit.”

In Sunriver, Village Bike and Ski employee Brad White said the shop had its best Memorial Day weekend in a long time, maybe even ever.

“On Sunday we ran out of all of our lower-end bikes for rent,” White said. “On the Memorial Day (holiday) we normally see 50 to 70 rentals (of bikes) so 200 was much larger than normal.”

Thirty miles north, antique stores in Redmond also cashed in on holiday travel.

“The counters were full in both shops all weekend, it was fabulous, ” said Erika Stephens, who owns both locations of the Redmond Antique Mall. “It was an awesome Memorial Day.”

Last year Central Oregon tourism experts also reported a record-breaking year. NewsChannel 21 reported last year that 5 percent more people stayed in Central Oregon hotels for the holiday weekend, compared to 2013.

The destination is becoming so popular that COVA and other tourism organizations worry it will only get tougher to find a hotel.

Visit Bend CEO Doug LaPlaca estimated every room in Bend was booked within a 10-mile radius of the city for Memorial Day. He said part of the success stemmed from concerts held in Bend and a large baseball tournament that brought in thousands alone. LaPlaca said it’s too early for him to say whether Bend broke any tourism records.

Area businesses are confident the Memorial Day boom is just a sneak peak of what’s to come.

“I think it’s going to be a great summer for all the antique stores in town,” Stephens said.

White said nearly renting out all of the store’s bikes was a wake-up call.

“We have 25 bikes or so at the warehouse waiting to be built, and I think we’ll work a little bit harder to get those built up now,” White said.