CLACKAMAS COUNTY BICYCLE TOURISM STUDIO | OVERVIEW
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CLACKAMAS COUNTY
BICYCLE TOURISM STUDIO | OVERVIEW
Presented by Travel Oregon & Clackamas County Tourism and
Cultural Affairs
Cycling tourism scored very high on Travel Oregon’s rankings of niche
markets of interest to rural Oregon communities, and with good reason: regionally and nationally,
Oregon controls a significant share of the bicycling tourism market, rivaling other popular western
states as a prime riding destination. Bicycling is one of the most popular recreation activities in the
United States, with over 85 million people road riding or mountain biking in 2006. Clackamas
County has excellent potential to expand its bicycle tourism market with proximity to Portland city
center and PDX airport yet possessing excellent small town to rural and wilderness experiences
that can attract visitors from across North America. One such recent investment that has already
spurred bicycle tourism is the Sandy Ridge Trail system.
The Clackamas County Bicycle Tourism Studio (BTS) is a 6-month community-based planning
and capacity building program designed and delivered by Travel Oregon as an extension of the
Rural Tourism Studio program. The program is being offered in partnership with Clackamas
County Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The BTS is artfully crafted to bolster awareness of the
growing cycling tourism market, provide information and foster key connections in order to
become a bicycle travel-friendly destination, and provide a planning framework in order to assess
assets and make strategic decisions on where to focus a community’s energy on the development
of cycling infrastructure, business services, and marketing. As a result, community leaders will
leave with a clear set of agreed upon short- and medium-term actions for developing bicycle
tourism in their locale.
PROGRAM GOALS
The goals of the Bicycle Tourism Studio program are to:
Raise the awareness and understanding of the value of the
tourism industry and specifically in the bicycle sector;
Engage a broad cross-section of the community – including
civic and business leaders – in a dialogue to identify strengths
and opportunities for capitalizing on bicycle tourism in the
county;
Spark creativity and enthusiasm in community leaders to
contribute to making Oregon a premiere tourism destination;
Connect community and business leaders with resources to
help develop new authentic tourism products and leverage the
assets they have;
Develop bicycle tourism experiences and products that
enhance the geographical character of a place for visitors and residents;
Stimulate new local business development; and
Establish positive relationship between community leaders and the state’s tourism development
and marketing organizations.
1|Page © Travel Oregon 2011
INTENDED PROGRAM OUTCOMES
As a result of participating in the program, communities will come away with:
A vision for bicycle tourism in the region or local area of focus;
Simple community action plans that establish a set of short-term and medium-term priority
actions for cycling tourism development in key bicycle markets / communities;
A broader cross section of leaders at the local level who are invested in the outcomes and can
manage the action plan timeline, partners, and project deliverables; and
Momentum on at least one new project in each community that can begin immediately
following the program.
HOW IT WORKS
Duration: The Bicycle Tourism Studio program will take place in Clackamas County over six
months. Community events and workshop sessions will take place during the first three months
and follow up activities will take place during the second three months. The Clackamas County
program will begin in November 2011 and wrap up in April 2012.
Customized program: Each workshop is customized to fit the needs of a participating community
and will have a focus on either road cycling/touring, off-road mountain biking or both depending
on the local assets. Travel Oregon will work with Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs
(TCA) and key local stakeholders to determine the focus of each community’s program at the
outset.
Interactive, engaging: A studio, by nature, is interactive and similarly, the Bicycle Tourism Studio
will incorporate maximum levels of interactive exercises paired with informational presentations
by select experts in the field to increase audience knowledge and enable effective participation.
Participants: The program is designed to engage a broad cross-section of community leaders from
Clackamas County and its communities. Ideally, we will involve 20-35 participants at each
workshop including small business leaders directly participating in the tourism industry (such as
hoteliers, restauranteurs, and tour operators), entrepreneurs, avid local cyclists (of utmost
importance!), trail clubs, Chamber directors and board members, visitor information service
providers, public land managers – specifically those manage parks, trails and open spaces, media,
community planners, economic development professionals, elected officials, and key non-profits
that have a vested interest in cycling recreation assets.
Travel Oregon and TCA will rely on local community liaisons to spearhead community outreach
and recruitment to engage a broad cross-section of people from the community. TCA will serve in
a coaching capacity and both Travel Oregon and TCA will assist with filling in gaps and reaching
out to specific partners when needed.
Pre-Workshop Assessment: In order to have a more rigorous workshop, Travel Oregon requests
that community representatives complete a pre-workshop assessment. This assessment will be
provided by Travel Oregon. The assessment will ask communities to identify the status of on-
going efforts and activities related to cycling tourism in three categories: infrastructure, business
development, and marketing/communications. We will address all three of those areas and create
a related action plan within the day-long workshop.
2|Page © Travel Oregon 2011
Pre- or Post-Workshop Field Tours: Communities are encouraged to conduct a pre- or post-
workshop field tour of their cycling assets. These tours are useful for community members,
business leaders, elected and agency representatives to better understand the key assets and see
where their opportunities for development lie. These field tours can be on bicycle – road or
mountain – or in a van to enable the group to cover a greater distance.
Travel Oregon will serve as a resource to assist communities with putting together effective field
tours; however, field tours will need to be spearheaded and led by community representatives.
Post-workshop Follow-up and Implementation: During the Studio, communities will set up
action teams to implement short- and medium-term action items that were prioritized at each
workshop. These action teams may consist of people already working together, or existing work
groups that can prioritize and handle the work. Travel Oregon will provide a limited number of
hours of technical advice to each action team following the workshops, but the majority of follow
up will be the community’s responsibility with strategic and resource-based support from TCA and
other county partners. Beyond that, Travel Oregon will serve as an on-going resource and partner
to TCA to help support county-wide and regional initiatives.
Community Host Obligation
In order to host a Bicycle Tourism Studio, your community needs to select a community lead or
steering committee and be prepared to:
Determine the date that works best for your community (see possible dates below)
Provide TCA with ideas for an appropriate local venue for the workshop
Provide TCA with ideas for appropriate local caterers
Distribute information about the BTS program locally (including notifying local media)
Recruit all of the key stakeholders to participate in your designated community workshop
Complete a pre-workshop assessment about your community
Assist with the implementation of priority tasks following the workshop
Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs (TCA) obligations: TCA has agreed to host the
Bicycle Tourism Studio program and will be spearheading the following tasks:
Provide input to Travel Oregon to customize the program
Provide/arrange a venue for all workshops to take place in each community
Arrange and pay for catering for all workshops
Distribute information about the program to target communities
Solicit involvement from community leads
Provide follow-up funding and support to assist participating communities with
implementing their priority projects.
Serve as ambassadors for the program
Travel Oregon obligations: Travel Oregon is committed to delivering the highest quality program
possible. Specifically, we will:
Design and deliver world-class curriculum on cycling tourism development
Engage regional, statewide and national partners as pertinent to each training
Support local partners with preparing for local workshops
Support local partners with implementing priority project ideas
Connect BTS projects and initiatives with statewide tourism marketing efforts
Connect BTS participants with on-going statewide working groups such as the Oregon
Bicycle Tourism Partnership
3|Page © Travel Oregon 2011As a result of this partnership between Travel Oregon and TCA, the standard program will be low
cost to participants. We will require a nominal fee of $5.00 to participate in the community
workshops. This fee goes towards program costs.
Participant Responsibilities: While the program is low cost, we ask that participants take the
program seriously. In order to get the most out of the program, participants need to be willing to:
Attend all three sessions outlined above
Arrive at 10-15 minutes early to each session to settle in as sessions will start right on time
Participate fully and respectfully
Fill out online participant evaluations following each workshop
Follow up on tasks
Work actively with local tourism action teams after the program ends to assist with
accomplishing community objectives
4|Page © Travel Oregon 2011BICYCLE TOURISM STUDIO, CLACKAMAS COUNTY
PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE
NOVEMBER 2011 – MARCH 2012
For full program information and to register: http://industry.traveloregon.com/Clackamas
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
EVENT: County-wide Program Kick-off
Tues Nov 8 th Program kick-off
3-6pm Stone Creek Golf Club, 14603 South Stoneridge Drive, Oregon City
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 1: West Linn & Oregon City
Tues Nov 29 th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling focus
9am-4pm West Linn City Hall, Council Chambers, 22500 Salamo Road, West Linn
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 2: Wilsonville
Tues Dec 6 th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling focus
9am-4pm Wilsonville Public Library, Rose Rm, 8200 SW Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 3: Sandy
Wed Dec 7th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling and mt. biking
9am-4pm Community Church of Sandy, 39290 Scenic Street, Sandy
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 4: Estacada
Wed Jan 11th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling and mt. biking
9am to 4pm Estacada City Hall, Council Chambers, 475 SE Main Street, Estacada
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 5: Villages of Mt. Hood & Government Camp
Wed Feb 15th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling and mt. biking
9am-4pm Huckleberry Inn, 88611 Business Loop, Hwy 26, Government Camp
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 6: Molalla & Canby
Thurs Feb 16th Cycling Tourism Development: road cycling and mt. biking
9am-4pm Location TBD
REGIONAL WORKSHOP: County-wide regional planning session
Cycling tourism planning session where representatives from key agencies
Date: TBD
participating communities come together to share plans, hone in on regional
2pm – 5pm
strategies and build momentum
EVENT: Clackamas Cycling Tourism Studio Celebration
Date: TBD County-wide reception to celebrate completion and share results with a
5-7pm broad set of community leaders and state/regional partners
5|Page © Travel Oregon 2011BICYCLE TOURISM STUDIO (BTS)
*DRAFT* WORKSHOP OUTLINE
Each community workshop will generally adhere to the following outline:
8:30 – Coffee and light breakfast (Optional)
Registration
9:00 - Overview/Introduction of Attendees and Presenters
Overview of BTS program
9:15 - Introduction to Bicycle Tourism (Presentation)
The Different Types of Cycling Tourists
Benefits of Bicycling Tourism
o Success Stories
What Bicycle Tourists Want and Need
10:00 – Break
10:15 – Developing a Bicycling Tourism Strategy (Activity)
SWOT analysis activities.
11:30 - Partnership Opportunities (Discussion)
11:45 – Lunch
12:45 – Lunch Discussion Debrief (Discussion)
1:00 - Developing a Bicycling Tourism Strategy (Activity)
Prioritization and Refinement
2:00 – Break
2:15 – Prioritization continued
2:45 – Funding Sources for Bicycle Tourism Development (Presentation)
3:00 – Next Steps (Discussion / Activity)
Develop Target Market Statement
3:45 – Recap of Efforts
4:00 – End
The workshop will include follow-up consultations that focus on completing priority tasks.
6|Page © Travel Oregon 2011WHY CYCLING TOURISM? Here are some additional reasons why your community may want to consider developing its cycling recreation and tourism assets. Basics of Bicycle Tourism Bicycling is one of the most popular recreation activities in the United States, with over 85 million people road riding or mountain biking in 2006. Not surprisingly, bicycling-related tourism continues to grow, and Oregon has a reputation as one of the premier bicycling destinations in the nation, providing visitors with rolling country roads, challenging trails, and breath-taking scenery. Increase Community Livability through Bicycling The creation of a bike-friendly community helps residents in a number of ways: improved air quality, community health benefits, recreational opportunities close to home, and increased transportation options for all residents (including approximatly 30% of all residents who do not drive). In general cycling helps to create a community that is vibrant, initimate, and safe; all characteristics that are desireable to visitors. The development of a bicycle-friendly community therefore has considerable positive impacts on tourism. Partnerships that Advance Bicycling Bicycle tourism development has many partners in the Portland metro region and statewide. These include non-profit organizations such as Cycle Oregon, IMBA, and the Northwest Trails Alliance and private sector professional expertise. A number of important governmental organizations have also prioritized bicycle tourism such as Metro with the passage of a regional bond measure that fund trail development and helping form the Intertwine Alliance, Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department with the advancement of the Oregon Scenic Bikeways program, and Travel Oregon, which maintains a quarterly statewide bicycle tourism workgroup and has invested in RideOregonRide.com, a website designed to assist with planning two-wheeled adventures. In many cases, the process of planning and developing bicycling tourism opportunities requires the involvement of governmental agencies. Agencies such as the Oregon Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service manage territories or infrastructure that is key for bicycle recreation and tourism. The BTS is designed to improve partnerships amongst local, state, and federal stakeholders that can help bring to bear a variety of resources for cycling tourism development. 7|Page © Travel Oregon 2011
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