Tourism Facilities Community Grant

Grants of up to $75,000 to Oregon nonprofit organizations and government agencies in eligible regions to promote local tourism. Funding is intended for tourism-based facilities projects that contribute to a sustainable tourism sector. Eligible projects increase tourism in Tillamook County.

Projects should focus on the following high-level principles:

• Building a Sustainable Tourism Industry:
• Is integrated with the local community in a way that is respectful and functional;
• Provides visitors with authentic, place-based educational experiences that leave them feeling enriched and inspired;
• Creates lasting year-round financial and social benefits for local residents, businesses, and communities across the County;
• Is supported by public policies with organizational support and funding; and,
• Maintains, or contributes to the health and vibrancy of the natural environment.
• Taking a Strong Regional Collaboration Approach
• Strong focus on building regional collaboration and connectivity across the county. The emphasis is on building interconnected regional scale product and visitor experience, which spans across the various amenities and regional destination locations.
• Adapt a Destination Management Focus
• Focus is primarily on destination management, ensuring tourism is meeting broader sustainability metrics and outcomes. The environmental and societal impacts are carefully considered, and investment is made to carefully moderate potential negative visitor impact and enhance positive impact.

County Priorities:

• Invest in infrastructure that helps the community support the tourism sector
• Protect highly sensitive ecological areas from the impacts of tourism across Tillamook County
• Invest in infrastructure and the tools to manage the impact of tourism to avoid congestion and overuse of areas
• Improving the tourism products and associated infrastructure (e.g., trails, parking, signage)
• Educate visitors to be respectful and good stewards of the natural and recreational resources
• Building collaborations within and outside the county to support coordination, solutions, and management of the tourism industry.

For information about selection criteria, see Page 5, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BO_eXToYB9p2tbvREvEu3mvrP4XvUs9I/view.