ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — The number of visitors staying in a hotel or rental home dipped slightly last year but overall spending grew to nearly $2 billion.
But The Daily Astorian reports that many hotel operators did not feel the slight decline and say 2017 was an exceptionally good year.
Travel experts note that higher room rates and transportation costs are making up for the dip and day-trippers are not included in the survey mix.
The 2018 Oregon Travel Impact report shows tourism spending has increased 2.2 percent.
The study found at the same time bookings for hotels and rentals dropped 1.3 percent overall between 2016 and 2017.
The decline on the northern coast was 1.7 percent.
Visits from international travelers have increased nearly 6 percent.