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Visit Central Oregon outlines marketing push, air‑service reserves and future‑fund grants to county commissioners
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Summary
Visit Central Oregon CEO Scott Larson briefed commissioners on FY‑27 forecasts, a $500,000 air‑service reserve, a shift toward ROI‑focused marketing and a plan to increase Future Fund awards from $280,000 to $300,000 this year.
At its April 22 meeting Visit Central Oregon (VCO) presented an annual report to the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners covering budgets, marketing strategy and destination stewardship grants.
Scott Larson, VCO CEO, said the organization plans to hold a $500,000 reserve specifically for air service and forecast roughly $3.557 million in revenue for FY27. "We have funds that are dedicated specifically for support of air service," Larson said, describing a pending Travel Oregon matching grant proposal that would pair $500,000 of VCO reserves with additional funds.
Larson told commissioners the organization is “marketing first” and has shifted media strategy to emphasize return on ad spend and off‑peak seasons; he said paid marketing priorities allocate 35% to winter, 25% to fall and spring, and 15% to summer. He also described investments in tools to help visitors and residents track smoke and fire risk, including a forward‑looking 48‑hour smoke preview fed by WatchDuty, PurpleAir and NOAA data.
Larson said VCO seeks to grow its Future Fund grants (destination stewardship) from $280,000 awarded last year to $300,000 this year, with a multi‑year internal target closer to $400,000. He noted VCO’s work on the Meet in Central Oregon initiative to streamline group business, and highlighted partnerships with regional stakeholders including Mount Bachelor and Sunriver Resort.
Commissioners asked questions about metrics and carryover funds; VCO said transient lodging tax pass‑throughs to VCO are expected to be roughly $3.44 million in FY26 and that county funding impacts destination stewardship and marketing priorities.
What’s next: VCO will continue work on air‑service grant applications, refine smoke‑and‑visitor tools, and release Future Fund award announcements later this week.
