Carrie Walshley, the contracted tourism coordinator for Morrow County, told the Board of Commissioners that 2024 direct visitor spending in the county was about $17,800,000 and supported roughly 240 tourism-related jobs.

The report said Morrow County’s direct travel spending is “up 4.4% from 2019,” and Walshley summarized state-level Dean Runyon estimates and local breakdowns she uses for planning. “I am Carrie Walshley, contracted with Morrow County for, tourism as tourism coordinator,” Walshley told the board.

The nut graf: Walshley said the county will build marketing and event assets in 2026 to capture overnight stays and weekday occupancy, and to expand exposure for agritourism producers and small businesses.

Walshley and assistant county administrator Vince Guerrero discussed visitor metrics and next steps. Walshley said the county’s figures show about 258,880 overnight visitors (“about 700 visitors a night” in her quick math), and that visitor spending “directly supported 240 tourism related jobs,” down about 10 from 2023 but overall up compared with 2019. She noted some categories labeled “other” in state reporting (resident spending on travel arrangements, conventions and events) had declined statewide and can affect local totals.

Planned 2026 work includes updating the county brochure, commissioning photography and video assets via a request for proposals, expanding the Riverton Hills Farm Trail listings, and developing a Dark Skies event at the county OHV park. Walshley said she has discussed contracting travel-siting expert Dawn (Don) Nielsen with Travel Oregon to develop the Dark Skies event and aims for the week of April 17, 2026. She described the southern part of Morrow County as bordering an international dark-sky area and said park modifications will be needed to make the OHV park “dark skies friendly.”

Walshley also described a completed Travel Oregon grant and an invitation to join a national accessibility platform called Wheel the World; she said businesses that participated in a statewide accessibility grant were invited to be listed on that platform to attract travelers with disabilities. Regarding calendar and social metrics, Walshley reported social-view increases (July–September period compared with the previous year) and demographic skews toward women ages 45–54 in Pacific Northwest viewership.

Commissioners asked multiple times how state totals are calculated and whether the visitor counts separate long-term temporary workers (for example, energy development workers staying weekdays) from tourists. Walshley said the Dean Runyon methodology defines a visitor as coming from more than 50 miles away and that the state data do not always separate temporary workers; she recommended local data collection and consulting Boardman transient lodging tax receipts to refine estimates.

Walshley said she continues cooperative marketing with Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and Travel Oregon, will update itineraries that include the county Heritage Trail and parks, and is preparing a presence for Morrow County at the Association of Counties event. She asked commissioners about support for selecting a contractor and for promotional activities.

Ending: Commissioners did not take separate formal action on the tourism presentation during the meeting; Walshley said she would follow up on the marketing plan and procurements.