Eugene, OR – “The Eugene, Cascades & Coast region offers Oregon’s greatest outdoor adventures in easy to reach, uncrowded places,” noted Andy Vobora, Travel Lane County’s Vice President of Stakeholder Relations. “Three strategic pillars guide our efforts to promote leisure travel, sports and conventions – sustainability, accessibility and inclusion.  We could not be more thrilled to host the Tourism Cares’ North American Meaningful Travel Summit and have attendees experience everything we have to offer here in the Southern Willamette Valley.”

Tourism Cares, a leading non-profit advancing sustainability within the travel industry, will launch its 2024 North American Meaningful Travel Summit in partnership with Travel Lane County and the Willamette Valley Visitors Association on September 30 – October 2. The Summit, held at the Graduate Eugene, focuses on uniting, inspiring, and activating the industry around best practices on sustainable tourism and meaningful travel by growing partnerships, building relationships, and highlighting Willamette Valley’s leadership in responsible travel. 

Over 150 professionals from across the travel industry will gather together to explore how meaningful travel can drive local impact and enhance the visitor experience. This year’s Summit will focus on inclusion and accessibility in travel, agritourism, and community-based tourism, showcasing local changemakers who are making a positive difference in their communities through travel and tourism. The objectives for this year’s North American Meaningful Travel Summit include:  

  • Connecting professionals to vetted non-profits and social enterprises for product development 
  • Facilitating cross-sector networking opportunities to build partnerships 
  • Providing actionable best practices in destination stewardship and community tourism 
  • Inspiring collective action through the commitments made by Summit attendees.  

“Tourism Cares’ North American Meaningful Travel Summit is a travel conference unlike any other as it brings together travel professionals across all sectors to collectively work together to explore how we can contribute to positive social, environmental, and economic impact through tourism,” shares Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. “Our programming is designed to tackle global issues through a local lens, providing attendees with practical strategies and tactics around sustainable tourism. The Willamette Valley is an exemplary model of how tourism can be a force for good, and we are excited to inspire our attendees to create similar impact-driven programs in their own regions.” 

At the core of the Summit is a comprehensive educational program, featuring local community voices and industry leaders. These experts will share insights on topics such as regenerative tourism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and sustainable business models and partnerships. Key educational sessions will include: agritourism and rural community empowerment; understanding disability inclusion in travel; and building sustainable and meaningful partnerships. 

Participants will also engage in immersive tours showcasing the Willamette Valley’s commitment to sustainable tourism, providing firsthand insight into meaningful travel’s positive impact on both the environment and local communities. 

As part of Tourism Cares’ Meaningful Travel Program, the Willamette Valley launched its Meaningful Travel Map, an interactive tool for the travel trade that showcases vetted, sustainable, community-led enterprises, products, services, accommodations, and tours. The Meaningful Travel Map of the Willamette Valley includes 20 local organizations from across the region that are working to promote environmental conservation, sustainable farming and winemaking, cultural heritage, and regenerative practices. To further build connections with the trade and these local impact partners, Summit attendees will engage with several of the Map’s Impact Partners through immersive tours and experiences, including: Antiquum Farm, Camas Country Mill, 20X21 Mural Project, First Nature Tours, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, King Estate Winery, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Oregon Black Pioneers, and Strides for Social Justice. To view a full list of organizations on the Meaningful Travel Map of the Willamette Valley, visit https://www.tourismcares.org/willamette-summit.   

Throughout the Summit, participants will work together to create actionable takeaways that can be implemented in their respective businesses and organizations, advancing meaningful travel and sustainability across the tourism industry. This Summit serves as a catalyst for long-term collaboration between the travel industry and local communities, ensuring tourism continues to contribute positively to both. 

The Tourism Cares North American Meaningful Travel Summit with the Willamette Valley is made possible through the support of the program’s hosts and sponsors: the Willamette Valley Visitors Association, Travel Lane County, American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), Expedia Group, Destination Greater Victoria, International Inbound Travel Association (IITA), Experience Kissimmee, MMGY Global, Rocky Mountaineer, Simpleview, Travel Oregon, Trip Mate, Brand USA, 4VI Social Enterprise Group, and Western Leisure, Inc. For more information about Tourism Cares and its Meaningful Travel Summits, please visit tourismcares.org.  

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About Tourism Cares:   

Tourism Cares is a 501(c)(3) U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the social, environmental, and economic impact of the travel industry to help communities thrive. With over 20 years of commitment, Tourism Cares works to ensure that travel is a force for good by uniting, inspiring, and activating all sectors of the travel trade. As a founding member of the Future of Tourism Coalition, Tourism Cares promotes the Coalition's 13 Guiding Principles through programming, education, and resources. By empowering its members and the industry to integrate sustainability and meaningful travel into their operations, Tourism Cares aims to foster a culture of impactful and responsible travel. Learn more at TourismCares.org and on social media at @TourismCares. 

 About Willamette Valley Visitors Association:  

The Willamette Valley, defined as the area between the crest of the Cascade Mountains and the crest of the Coast Range, from Newberg south to Cottage Grove, is the largest river valley in the Pacific Northwest. Willamette Valley Visitors Association (WVVA) is a private, nonprofit organization that supports travel and tourism in the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s Wine Country. Comprising six destination marketing organizations, WVVA works to maintain the Willamette Valley as Oregon’s premier travel destination, while also highlighting the culture, heritage and natural resources of the region. For more information, visit https://willamettevalley.org/