Every two years, when the Resident Sentiment Survey is released, the Oregon Coast consistently leads the state in participation. This is a reflection of how deeply our communities care about shaping the future of resilient tourism. With your support in 2024, nearly 7,000 Oregonians across the state shared their perspectives.
The time has come to collect feedback from residents again—at a moment when new research, including a recent snapshot from the OSU Sustainable Tourism Lab, reminds us that resident sentiment is nuanced, bipartisan, and more important than ever to understand clearly.
Read on to learn more!
About the Survey
The Resident Sentiment Survey, conducted by Travel Oregon, asks Oregon residents about their experiences with and perspectives on tourism. Feedback helps guide strategies that support responsible travel and resilient communities, ensuring tourism benefits both residents and visitors alike. The survey is short, anonymous, and open until March 31, 2026—and participants are entered to win up to $1,000 in Amazon gift cards.
How to participate and share:
- Take the survey: Visit or share the Travel Oregon industry site landing page for more details and to see last year’s results
- Share via newsletters: Use this sample invitation, or write your own!
- Hang flyers at your business or around town
- Share the short link:bit.ly/OR26Resident
- Post on social media: Here’s a sample post you can use:
ARE YOU AN OREGON RESIDENT? [INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME] needs your help. In partnership with Travel Oregon, we want to hear your perspective on tourism across the state as we work to improve the lives of all Oregonians. Fill out a short, anonymous survey from Travel Oregon by March 31, 2026, and be entered to win up to $1,000 in Amazon gift cards. Your feedback will help encourage responsible travel practices and shape the future of tourism in your community.
Why it matters (and why resident sentiment might surprise you):
Resident perspectives aren’t always as straightforward as they might seem. The OSU Sustainable Tourism Lab’s new One-Pager on bipartisan support for tourism offers a glimpse into how Oregonians across political affiliations weigh tourism’s benefits and costs. With tourism-related legislation on the rise, this snapshot helps explain why some residents support new initiatives while others are more cautious.
The results show that liberals and conservatives show similar levels of support—about 47–48% say the benefits of tourism outweigh the costs—but moderate residents display the most variation in how they perceive tourism’s impacts. In other words, while tourism enjoys broad support across the political spectrum, the conversation is nuanced. Most residents aren’t simply “for” or “against” tourism—they’re weighing tradeoffs, thinking about their communities, and looking for solutions that balance growth with livability.
Why our voices matter:
For industry and civic leaders, and for residents filling out this year’s survey, the lesson is clear: your voice shapes the conversation.
High participation is especially important from smaller, less dense communities like those on the Oregon Coast, where local perspectives often differ from larger urban areas. By sharing your views, you help ensure that strategies for tourism reflect the needs, priorities, and values of those who call Oregon home.
For more information or questions, contact Hannah Hicks (hannahh@traveloregon.com) or Javier Parada Torres (javierpt@traveloregon.com).
Take the survey today and be part of shaping the future of Oregon tourism.