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Discover Klamath outlines tourism, sports‑tourism and marketing plans as local team rebuilds
Summary
Discover Klamath’s new staff presented occupancy and marketing data, a focus on sustainable growth and sports tourism, and rising registration for the county-run Ride the Rim event. The organization plans data subscriptions, partnerships, and targeted campaigns—including a "Crater Lake is open" effort—to guide visitor messaging.
Discover Klamath’s new leadership team gave the Klamath County Board of Commissioners an update on May 28 about marketing, visitation metrics, and sports‑tourism development as the organization builds out strategy and staffing.
Millie Osguthorpe, executive director, said the organization now has three full‑time staff and a new board of directors representing lodging and venues across the county. Mia Apps, marketing director, presented web and social analytics showing improvements in engagement and link clicks, and noted the team’s focus on short‑form video to increase visitor interest and time on site. The board was also told Discover Klamath is pursuing memberships and training (Destinations International, Sports ETA) and partnering with Southern Oregon University on sustainable tourism planning.
Discover Klamath shared several metrics: year‑to‑date occupancy in Southern Oregon is up 3.6 percent regionally and average daily rate (ADR) was noted at about $95 (results through March). The presenters said the county’s occupancy is roughly 40 percent for the period reported and that their Ride the Rim registration had risen to about 2,500 participants this year, up from roughly 1,000 at the same point last year.
The group emphasized a stewardship and strategy approach, saying they will aim to grow visitation without causing overtourism at county assets such as Crater Lake National Park. The organization has a “Crater Lake is open” information campaign to correct public confusion about park access and to direct visitors with accurate timing and reservation information. Discover Klamath also reported recent site visits from event promoters (Ragnar, Breakaway Promotions) and said Bicycle Rides Northwest plans a multiday stop in the county that would bring about 250 riders.
Why it matters: Discover Klamath’s marketing and event recruiting efforts can influence lodging occupancy, local business revenue and visitor flows to county and federal recreation assets. The group is positioning sports tourism—events such as gravel grinders, relays and trail runs—as a high‑value growth area.
Next steps: Discover Klamath said it will pursue data subscriptions to improve measurement, evaluate hiring a sales/recruitment staff role in the longer term, and continue coordination with local partners and the county on permitting and event logistics.
