National Travel Week goes virtual amid pandemic

well you know it is national travel and tourism week a nationwide effort to celebrate how discovering new and different places can really bring us together yeah obviously that is looking a little different this year not able to celebrate just quite yet but we know that eventually we're going

to be able to get back out there when it is safe when we are allowed to do so so this week on AM extra we thought we would celebrate by helping you plan your next adventure from sprawling coastlines to majestic mountains Oregon is home to some of the

most scenic places on earth and the state's travel and tourism industry has long benefited from the outdoor adventures that await last year alone in 2019 it was a twelve point eight billion dollar industry injected right into our local economies and on top of that it employed more than

170,000 Oregonians so clearly this is a very big economic driver for the state and it's gonna be a very integral part in the state's economic recovery for sure and with that in mind travel Oregon's Allison Keaney says how and where we traveled after stay home orders are lifted

will bring new opportunity to some Oregonians so it is national travel and tourism week and I know it's looking very different this year than it has in years past but this week we wanted to give people a chance to really focus on what they can look forward to

in their next adventure dreaming and planning your next vacation is really what it's all about right now and we know that Oregonians are probably going a little bit stir-crazy since we're active people but this week we hope to show you some of the regions that will be wide

open and ready for you to be traveling too when the travel ban is lifted so that's Southern Oregon and Central Oregon and Eastern Oregon and then our nearby neighbors of the hood all week long here on am extra your next adventure we're gonna be showing people all these

places that they can start to put on their list so what do you want Oregonians to know as they learn more about our beautiful state we are so lucky to have such variant landscapes microclimates and really just within a short drive away you know we have the coasts

we have the Willamette Valley nearby but then just drive a couple more hours and you know you're in the hi dozen sets organ we can get out into the wide open spaces of Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon so yeah organ does have a lot of places that you

can visit and there will be less people and so I think it'll be in those rural areas that we'll be seeing more people and because there's just more space out there to enjoy well I know I'm really excited to learn about all of these new places here all

week long on AM extra and I'm looking forward to to my next adventure now too yeah totally and I think we all just need to keep in mind that we're all in this together and so when the time is right we'll all be out there supporting our communities

and ready to travel again yes of course keep in mind we're talking about all these fun places that you can go after the governor stay home orders and those local orders have been lifted but yeah I think it'll be fun to check out some things outside of the

Metro yeah outside of the Lamb Valley on the north coast where we we kind of get into our pattern so yeah find that new corner that gives you a little extra space this year watching that video I'm like oh I just I can't wait this is gonna really

perk your wanderlust all week long here I think so oh and by the way Allison zoom background they're so cute was one of several that a travel Oregon made these zoom virtual conference backgrounds for you to download if you want to you know zazz up your next zoom

meeting your work conference call will have a link to it there on coin comm if you want to go get your own I love it yeah the virtual backgrounds are they're fun to play with you kind of laid out head butt right it's fun yeah yeah yeah sit

up yeah fill your co-workers into thinking that you're just sitting out of the scenic waterfall and yeah psyche better than in your kitchen yeah right