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Photo by Jim Craven Vacationers Tim Arnstein, left, of Napa, Calif., and Carl Hammond, of Portland, relax on a bench in downtown Jacksonville Friday. The Medford Visitors and Convention Bureau's annual survey indicates tourism is up this year. Tourism booming in So. Oregon Shakespeare, music, sports, rafting big draws By BILL VARBLE Carl Hammond and Tim Arnstein kick back on a bench on California Street shortly before noon as the Jacksonville lunch crowd begins to build. Sporting dark shades, Hammond, of Portland, says he was drawn by the town's Old West history. Relaxing under a wide-brimmed hat, Arnstein, of Napa, Calif., says he's impressed by the quality of entertainment at the Peter Britt Festivals. Neither man had been to the town before, and both say they're likely to return. "Fantastic," Arnstein says, gesturing at circa 1850s brick buildings. A new survey says the men are part of a growing wave of tourists rolling over Southern Oregon. In the survey, conducted in mid-July by the Medford Visitors and Convention Bureau, operators of 50 tourist-driven businesses around the Rogue Valley were asked to compare the level of business this year with 1998. Forty said they had seen an increase, seven said business is down, and three said it's about even with last year. That's 80 percent up to 14 percent down, with 6 percent saying unchanged. "Good news for our economy," is how Julie Petretto of the VCB sums it up. The Ashland VCB, unlike its Medford counterpart, waits until the end of summer to survey businesses. But Mary Pat Parker of the Ashland VCB describes that town as, "Full, full, full." She adds, "I think we're having a very good year." At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ticket sales are humming, with 93 percent of all seats sold. That compares with 91 percent at this time last year. "We could set a record," the OSF's Bob Hackett says. "October will tell." In Jacksonville, Britt had sold 52,461 seats as of Wednesday. That compares with 45,764 for this time last year and 51,542 in 1997. That too is a record pace. "So far," says Britt's Arthur Waitt. Each year the Medford VCB's mid-summer survey assesses tourist-driven business in Southern Oregon. This year, operators at 11 of 13 motels surveyed in Medford said business was up. Two said it was down. One of those two was hurt by renovation work. One manager said people aren't staying as long. Sources at most of the motels in the survey said families were staying an average of two to four days. The main attractions: Shakespeare, Britt, softball and soccer tournaments, rafting trips. Also up from last year were restaurants, led by specialty dining houses in Ashland and Jacksonville, which are traditionally viewed as linked to the Shakespeare and Britt seasons. In contrast, several chain restaurants reported declines. Also on the down side, the Medford Visitors Information Center reported a 4 percent drop in visitors. The Siskiyou Welcome Center at the Ashland Ranger District, however, reported a slight increase. RV parks reported business about the same as last year. Several operators said they thought gasoline prices were putting a damper on business. Also off is traffic at Crater Lake, where snow lingered well into summer. Boat tours are only now getting under way, and the rim road opened only this week. In Jacksonville, however, far from the snow, music lovers were gathering early near the Britt grounds, where singer Boz Scaggs performs tonight. "It's unbelievable," Arnstein says. "Like the Mondavi concerts near Oakville (in California's Napa Valley wine country)." Arnstein and Hammond are staying in an Ashland bed and breakfast with their wives. Hammond took in plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1957. "It was only in September, and outdoors," he says. His wife had been to Britt years ago. What did she see this time? "Big changes," he says. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA