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DNS FOG Temp: 33 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, December 8, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 18, 2002 Many tourists this summer chose to go someplace else rather than endure the valley�s smoke from massive forest fires to the north. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Tourism choked on smoke Visitor counts began strongly but petered out when forest fires went out of control By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune Smoke put a damper on the Rogue Valley’s tourist season. A strong start in May and June didn’t continue after nearby forest fires filled the valley with smoke in July, tourism officials and data indicate. "A lot of our members, certainly the attractions, saw May and June very strong. Then the fires came," said Mark Dennett, acting manager of the Southern Oregon Visitors Association. By the end of the summer most attractions had either the same amount of business or a slight decline from 2001, said Dennett. Smoke first settled over Medford July 15, a day after lightning kindled more than a dozen fires in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Firefighters reined in the first big fire, near Ruch, within a week, but fought the others for months. Winds carried smoke from one fire or another into the Bear Creek Valley until Labor Day. Some lodging members housed fire workers and didn’t see declines, but jet boat and rafting numbers dropped, said Dennett. One jet boat operator reported more revenue but fewer guests, he said. "It was a very popular driving vacation period. What happened with the fires, they just headed someplace other than Oregon," said Dennett. SOVA promoted the 100th anniversary of Crater Lake National Park heavily. But business was "a little light" there because visitors couldn’t see the lake on smoky days, Dennett said. Visitors to the Medford Visitors and Convention Bureau’s information center through Oct. 31 totaled 60 below 2001. About 24,000 people visited the center. Through June, visitor numbers had been up 9 percent over 2001. Visits decreased 20 percent from a year earlier at the Oregon Tourism Commission’s Ashland welcome center during August, September and October. The center had 11,772 visitors in 2002 and 14,772 in 2001 during the three-month period. "Occupancy was lower, but we had our best year yet (for revenue)," said Jonathan Warren, owner of the Best Western Bard’s Inn in downtown Ashland and the Best Western Windsor Inn near Interstate 5 in Ashland. Occupancy was lower at the Bard’s Inn, but higher at the Windsor. "There’s just a lot more rooms downtown," said Warren. The new Plaza Inn and Suites opened across from the Bard’s Inn with 91 rooms. Calls to other motels in the downtown area usually found vacant rooms when the Bard’s Inn was full, said Warren. "Both August and September were off," said Warren. He said smoke might have contributed to the decline. Revenue was up 5 percent, but visitor numbers increased minimally at the two Comfort Inn sites in Medford, said manager Barry Gibson. Fires produced only a small drop-off for one week, said Gibson. Before July, both Comfort Inns ran well ahead of previous totals. "I think we saw a lot more families come through this summer instead of flying to bigger places," said Gibson. "They were driving to just check out the West Coast. It was a little different than years in the past." Oregon Shakespeare Festival attendance was up 30,833 over 2001 to 399,609. But the festival had 53,000 additional seats available with completion of the New Theatre. Festival officials said smoke might have held down attendance. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S