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TRAVEL PORTLAND NAMES THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 42ND ANNUAL TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AWARDS

Awards celebrate businesses and individuals that made significant contributions to the tourism industry in 2021

PORTLAND, ORE. March 7, 2022 – Travel Portland is proud to name the recipients of the 42nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Industry Awards. Representing an array of businesses and individuals that made significant contributions to the tourism industry this past year, the award winners have all gone above and beyond to bring the local community together and make a measurable economic impact on the region as tourism continues to recover from the pandemic.

“Each day, I am inspired by the creativity, passion and resiliency of our partners to deliver innovative solutions that support our community while enhancing the visitor experience in Portland,” said Travel Portland President and CEO Jeff Miller. “It is no secret the pandemic has had a huge effect on Portland’s tourism industry, but the achievements of these award recipients shows we are poised for a comeback and I am excited to see what we will all accomplish together as we look to the future.”


Travel Portland is honoring the following businesses and individuals for their notable contributions to the Portland tourism industry this past year:

Portland Award: Recognizes the greatest overall contribution to Portland’s Visitor Industry.

Recipient: Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Healthy Businesses and Safe Streets Initiative. Enabling many businesses to continue serving visitors and locals alike, this initiative helped countless businesses pivot during the pandemic by allowing them to expand their operations to create outdoor dining, curbside pickup and more, providing a lifeline to local businesses when they needed it most.

Rose City Award: Significant contribution to the promotion of Portland as a visitor destination.

Recipient: Top Chef Portland. Top Chef Portland left us all wanting more, including fans who may find themselves drawn to the city of Roses for their next vacation. The season gave added attention to Portland’s diverse array of cuisines including Oregon’s First Nations and businesses of color providing recognition to these important members of our culinary scene.

President’s Awards: Recognizing the valued contributions to Portland’s visitor industry made by individuals, organizations or businesses.

Recipient: Albina Music Trust. This organization is preserving North Portland’s music culture with programming that documents the community’s oral history. In 2021, they launched the Albina Soul Walk, a 1-mile, self-guided audio tour that explores Albina’s vibrant musical culture of the 1960s–1980s.

Recipient: Shop Small PDX. Supported by a coalition of local agencies, Shop Small PDX called upon residents and visitors to be intentional in supporting local businesses via online markets, in-person events and summer plaza activations.

Destination Management Award: To celebrate a significant contribution to destination management, development or stewardship.

Recipient: SOLVE and Portland Lodging Alliance. These organizations partnered to engage volunteers to help clean up Portland and prepare the city for visitors to return.

International Award: To celebrate a partner’s significant contribution to Portland’s international visitation, appeal or profile.

Recipient: Red Gillen, Slabtown Language Works. While international tourism was shut down this past year, Red Gillen kept Portland top of mind by organizing and leading multiple virtual tour experiences, launching a Japanese podcast about food and beer and hosting webinars for French tour operators to inspire travel to Portland.

Twin Spires: Presented to an individual or association that has made a significant contribution to convention business in Portland.

Recipient: Geological Society of America. The Geological Society of America was our first citywide convention since the start of the pandemic, demonstrating a strong commitment and contribution to help move Portland’s hospitality community into recovery.

Community Support: In celebration of a partner’s significant contribution to the community.

Recipient: Oregon Convention Center. The Oregon Convention center stepped up during the pandemic, first providing shelter for people experiencing houselessness, then partnering with OHSU, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health and Providence to operate the city’s largest vaccination center, administering more than 550,000 doses, and now working with Curative to operate as a Covid-19 testing clinic.

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About Travel Portland
Travel Portland is the official destination marketing and management organization for the city of Portland, Oregon. Its mission is to generate travel demand that drives economic impact for Portland. For more information on Travel Portland, visit TravelPortland.com.