Lane County's Destination Master Plan: A Community-Driven Vision

Our region is developing its first comprehensive Destination Master Plan, a collaborative process to create a 10-year strategic vision for tourism across Lane County's diverse communities. The plan will serve as a practical roadmap for sustainable tourism development that benefits all communities in Lane County, guided by input from the people who know this region best.

The Destination Master Plan reflects Travel Lane County's commitment to ensuring tourism development serves as a tool for thriving communities — one that aligns with local values and fosters collaboration across our region.

What is a Destination Master Plan?

A Destination Master Plan creates a clearly defined long-term vision for our visitor economy, with a shared understanding of what success looks like. Unlike organizational strategic plans, this plan focuses on the destination itself — identifying opportunities to develop or enhance experiences and infrastructure while building stronger alignment between the visitor economy, economic development, and community well-being.

Our Collaborative Approach

This plan has been shaped by deep, meaningful engagement across Lane County. Over the past year, we've heard from hundreds of community members, business owners, government leaders, and residents through:

• 32 virtual one-on-one interviews with community leaders across Lane County
• In-person focus groups and interviews with 30+ stakeholders
• 5 virtual focus groups on specific themes
• A resident sentiment survey that collected 1,300 responses from locals

Input has come from across the community from local businesses, chambers of commerce, government leaders at local, county, and regional levels, industry partners, and residents who call Lane County home.

Our Steering Committee

Throughout this process, a cross-sector steering committee of Lane County leaders helped shape the plan's direction by reviewing research, stress-testing findings, and ensuring the work reflected the real needs of communities across the region. We're grateful for the time and expertise each of them brings to this process.

• Alyssa Brownlee, Horse Creek Lodge & Outfitters
• Joshua Bates, City of Eugene - Library, Recreation and Cultural Services
• Corey Buller, Lane Events Center
• Ian Dobson, Eugene Marathon
• Bettina Hannigan, Florence Area Chamber of Commerce
• Jason Harris, Lane County
• Megan Messmer, City of Florence
• Vonnie Mikkelsen, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
• Matt Peterson, Willamette National Forest
• Jesse Quinn, Lane Workforce Partnership
• George Rogers, Graduate by Hilton Eugene
• Sarah Smith, InnCline Management
• Vanessa Tharp, Vanessa Tharp LLC Events and Consulting
• Jessica Thomas, Sweet Cheeks Winery
• Tara Wibrew, Lane Arts Council
• Michael Wargo, Willamalane Parks and Recreation

Where We Are Now

We've completed our community engagement phase and are now turning all of that input into action. Our consulting team is developing findings, strategies, and priorities that will form the foundation of the final plan. The Destination Master Plan will be presented to the community in July 2026.

Project Timeline

• Summer 2025: Alignment, initial research, and stakeholder mapping
• Fall 2025 – Winter 2026: Stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and resident sentiment survey
• Winter – Spring 2026: Analysis, strategy development, and plan drafting
• June 2026: Final plan adopted
• July 2026: Final plan community launch

Key Outcomes

This master planning process will deliver:

• A sustainable tourism framework that balances economic growth with community values and environmental stewardship
• An infrastructure assessment of current tourism capacity and future development needs across all communities
• Visitor management strategies that optimize tourism's positive impact while addressing community concerns
• An implementation roadmap with clear milestones and accountability measures

Still Want to Weigh In?

Tourism supports the places and experiences we all enjoy — from local restaurants and breweries to the parks, trails, festivals, and shops that make us love living here. It helps fund infrastructure improvements, creates jobs for our neighbors, and contributes to a sustainable year-round, countywide economy.

While our formal survey period has closed, we're still interested in hearing from residents. Fill out the form below with any input you'd like considered in the final plan.

For more information: