Tourism Cares for Portland Added to NTA’s Contact ’14

April 22, 2014

When NTA tour operators arrive in Portland, Ore., this August, they’ll build business partnerships with other operators. And before they leave, they’ll join in a partnership to build better beach access along the city’s downtown riverfront.

Tourism Cares, an organization dedicated to preserving travel sites, is partnering with two Oregon-based nonprofits to present Tourism Cares for Portland, a half-day clean-up project along a sandy beachfront on the Willamette River scheduled for Aug. 10.

“The water is clean and safe for swimming, but litter and river debris prevent visitors and residents from enjoying the beach in an area that’s otherwise remarkably appealing,” said Mike Rea, Tourism Cares’ president and CEO. “This clean-up project will allow tour operators from all over the country to enhance tourism in Portland.”

NTA members will be gathering for Contact ’14, the association’s tour operator retreat that combines casual networking with in-depth education. The Aug. 7–9 session, headquartered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Portland, is the first time the annual event has been located in the Pacific Northwest. And this will be the first Contact to include an opportunity to volunteer at a Tourism Cares event.

“It seems to be in the DNA of NTA members to pitch in,” said Lisa Itel, global sales manager for Travel Oregon and Contact ’14 chair. “Tourism Cares events are part of NTA’s convention every year, and we’re thrilled to host the first Tourism Cares service project at Contact.”

Tourism Cares, NTA’s official philanthropy, is partnering with the Human Access Project and the Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund to conduct the project at Audrey McCall Beach, where the community and visitors will gain downtown access to a beach and swimming area.