TRAVEL & WORDS is a unique gathering for travel journalists who want to dig deeper into Northwest destinations — and for the destinations that want to connect with them.
This year’s conference, hosted in Medford, Oregon, brought together destination managers and journalists for two days of conversation, collaboration, and inspiration. The City of Medford rolled out the red carpet, highlighting the bounty of the Rogue Valley and creating memorable moments for everyone who attended.
Over a busy day and a half, Marketing Manager Stacey Gunderson met one-on-one with 27 journalists to share Oregon Coast story ideas. From local food — especially our Keeping Local Seafood Local initiative — to gravel biking, accessibility, voluntourism, and why winter is the perfect season to visit the Coast, these topics sparked a lot of excitement among writers who are eager to come experience them firsthand.
A special moment came when Premier Media Group, the conference organizers, honored two DMOs with awards for excellence. We were thrilled to see the Oregon Coast Visitors Association receive the Authentic Voices in Destination Marketing Award — a recognition of the incredible work our team continues to do to tell the story of the People’s Coast.
Gatherings like this are a great reminder of why this work matters, and we are grateful for the opportunity to connect our region’s unique stories with the people who will share them with the world. It’s exciting to see how much curiosity there is about the Oregon Coast, and to know that the stories we’re telling are resonating far beyond our region.