Tillamook Coast Visitors Association highlights off‑season marketing, stewardship and accessibility in semiannual report

Nan Devlin, executive director of the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association, presented the association's semiannual report for fiscal year 2024–25 to the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 26, outlining marketing, community planning, stewardship and accessibility work completed from July through December.

Devlin said the association evaluates its work with three sustainable‑tourism principles — people, place and return — and concentrates marketing on the off season to support year‑round economic vitality. “We are a community based tourism organization and we measure ourselves based on 3 sustainable tourism principles,” Devlin said.

The report described four community planning sessions held in Cape Meares, Manzanita, Oceanside and Netarts, and identified planned sessions in Neskowin and Pacific City. The association said it produced “good neighbor” brochures for Manzanita, Cape Meares and Rockaway Beach that focus on fire safety and visitor behavior, and is coordinating with local code enforcement on short‑term rental business licensing and enforcement.

In culinary and agritourism work, the North Coast Food Trail reached 80 members stretching from Clatskanie and Astoria to Neskowin. The association commissioned four videos for local chefs that drew about 165,000 views in three weeks; the segment featuring Offshore Grill in Manzanita accounted for nearly 50,000 views, Devlin said. The association plans to relaunch its Crave the Coast event; rising vendor costs have led staff to consider a monthlong restaurant feature instead of a single festival date.

Devlin said the organization secured a $6,000 Roundhouse Foundation grant administered through Col‑Pac as fiscal agent to host a food‑industry event April 28, and that DeGard Brewing raised $2,500 in one day for Trailkeepers of Oregon by donating proceeds from a limited‑edition beer. The report also covered outdoor recreation and trails work, including planning for the Harborview Veil project around Tillamook Bay and Garibaldi and a Cape Meares Loop Road video produced by the association.

On accessibility, Devlin said the county is leading the state: the Tillamook Coast is a Wheel the World‑verified destination and the association now provides four “David’s chairs” for beach access, with volunteers managing distribution through local partners including St. Mary’s Church. The association also ran community training in emergency outdoor medical response and produced emergency window cling resource information for residents.

Operations and communications highlights included a 50,000‑copy visitor guide (about 20,000 mailed and the remainder distributed at county pickup points), a brand‑story video shown at the tourism banquet, a podcast nearing the five‑episode threshold for Spotify distribution, and contract support from nonprofit consultants for accounting and HR compliance.

Commissioners praised the association’s emphasis on off‑season marketing, local partnerships and stewardship. The board chair and other commissioners said the association’s on‑the‑ground work helps the county respond quickly to changes affecting tourism and local businesses.

Devlin closed by inviting questions; commissioners offered congratulatory remarks and said they looked forward to continuing the partnership.