The City of Bend – Trying To Deal with Its Influx Of Visitors

Bend, Ore. – Bend is trying to deal with tourists. Lots of traffic, littering of beer cans, crowded hiking trail parking lots – these are just some of the complaints commonly heard in tourist communities, and Bend is no exception.

From neighborhoods that feel like they’re overrun with vacation rentals to parking shortages downtown, Bend is facing a number of challenges directly related to it as a popular get-away destination.

The Bulletin reports that between 2.5 million and 3 million people visited Bend in 2015, most of which came during the summer, according to data from Visit Bend, the city’s tourism marketing agency.

On a typical summer day, the city hosted nearly 20,000 visitors — about 20 percent of Bend’s population of 87,000, according to Census estimates.

While some business owners and city officials say Bend’s tourism industry is vital to the health of its economy, other local residents see it as a growing problem with no easy solutions.

Bend businesses and economists say tourism is partly responsible for dragging Bend’s economy out of the economic downturn, as well as luring young professionals and entrepreneurs to the city.

According to The Bulletin, the growth of tourism in Bend is outpacing some other vacation destinations nationwide. Bend’s hotels grew more than 5 percent from 2009 to 2011 — that’s twice as much as Oregon’s uptick during the same period, and more than competing cities such as Flagstaff, Arizona, and Boulder, Colorado.

However, critics say the industry brings in low-paying jobs, high rent for vacation homes and adds wear and tear to parks and forests.

Visit Bend started working on campaign called, “Visit like a Local” – the campaign aims to persuade tourists to act respectfully to other Bend residents and clean up after themselves. It suggests using reusable water bottles and opt for biking and walking, instead of driving are among ideas the agency is trying to push to Bend’s visitors.

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Beaver Walk & Beaver Believers Screening

Beaver Natural History Walk & Restoration Site Tour, 4-5 pm Followed by a screening of The Beaver Believers and Q &A Hosted by Maureen Thompson, Beaver Works Program Manager and Kolleen Miller, Education Director for The Upper

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8th Annual Locavore Gala & Fundraiser

We invite you to be a part of something extraordinary – an evening that transcends the ordinary and celebrates the heart of our community. Central Oregon Locavore proudly presents its 8th Annual Gala and Fundraiser, a special