BEND, OR -- Fewer tourists stopped in Bend over the holidays. According to Visit Bend, Transient Room Tax collection dropped in November and December by about 10% from the previous year.

Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan told the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board this week he isn’t sure why, “Did we just do so well through Covid because we were one of the few destinations you could drive to and get fresh air? And now international destinations are opening, and that competitiveness is pulling people elsewhere. That’s still yet to be determined, but this is what’s going on.” Dugan pointed to an overall decline across the state, “Oregon as a state, about 5% down. You can see the coast down, you can see Eastern Oregon significantly down, and then Central Oregon off about 11% for the month of December. City of Bend from an occupancy rate stand point was off 10%.”

Dugan says the decrease could be a leveling-off, after a spike in visits during the pandemic, “So we’re still up against 2019 which is why this isn’t sort of a doom and gloom scenario. That this isn’t indicative that we aren’t still desirable to the consumer. I think this is a little bit of a correction, if you will.”

Visit Bend's Cultural Tourism and Sustainability funds could shrink if Transient Room Tax collections continue to decline.