In an effort to get kids outside experiencing nature in all forms, Travel Oregon has launched a new initiative - called explOREGON - inspiring children to discover tide pools, learn about unusual sea life, go whale watching and hunt for historic glass floats, not to mention enjoy kite flying, sandcastle building and more fun activities along the 363 miles of Oregon's public coastline.

In partnership with National Geographic Kids Magazine, explOREGON: The Pacific Ocean kicks off a nationwide contest offering children the chance to win a trip to explore the Oregon Coast.

To enter, children ages 6-14 submit a drawing and a letter of 100 words or fewer explaining what they would see, do and explore if given the chance. The contest is also open to those who have been to the Pacific Ocean already; their letters should highlight favorite memories of previous Pacific Ocean trips. One winner in each category will receive an all expense paid trip for four to the Oregon Coast this summer.

Click here for complete contest details and entry forms

Seasons change regularly and so does the content on TravelOregon.com! Below is a look at some of the new offerings on the site.

The Spring/Summer 2008 Travel Oregon Magazine is now available to order online by clicking here . We're excited about all of the content being featured in this issue, especially the "Golf in Oregon" section featuring 8 in-depth course profiles PLUS complete listings on 166 more great golf courses all found in Oregon. The golf section is being promoted online by a golf landing page at: www.TravelOregon.com/Golf

BOOK OF OREGON - UNIQUE LANDING PAGES
The Book of Oregon section has been updated with unique landing pages for our Book of Oregon Co-Op print executions.

For consumers who are driving from print to online, this brings the most current and relevant information from the theme of the ad (events, attractions, video etc.) right to the landing page. The first Willamette Valley co-op related enhanced Book of Oregon landing page was listed for the month of March and signups for the Willamette Valley Visitors Association Getaway Sweepstakes featured on the landing page resulted in 281 leads. The current live page is www.TravelOregon.com/Run which supports co-op advertising efforts with CVALCO on the Eugene '08 event featuring the "Oregon Overachiever".

OREGON COAST PROMOTION
Travel Oregon is partnering with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association on a special three month promotion. Each month a trip to a different part of the coast is being given away, with the month of March seeing 1,489 leads acquired in conjunction with the South Coast promotion. Click here to see where visitors can enter to win a trip to the Central Coast.

WATER RECREATION & GUIDES/OUTFITTERS
This spring also saw the launch of the water recreation landing page appropriately titled "Splashin' Water Fun - Raft, Jetboat, & Kayak Oregon". It's loaded with fun things to do in the water in Oregon in hopes of preparing you for some of the many things to do this summer. You'll also notice the new look we've recently adopted, gone are the days of the grey bar on the right side, we've brightened things up a bit now and we hope you like it as much as we do!

We're also happy to announce the official launch of our Guides & Packers section of TravelOregon.com - check it out by clicking here . Our goal with this section is to make everyone aware of all the Oregon State Marine Board licensed outfitters that are waiting to show you the natural beauty, fun and excitement that can be found throughout the state.

The Great Travel Site Showdown - Group 2 is currently running on the Travel 2.0 Interactive Trend Report blog site. Oregon, Alaska, Washington and Virginia are competing for bragging rights.

Click here to visit the site's recap of the 2008 Oregon Governor's Conference on Tourism from Troy Thompson of the Arizona Office of Tourism.

Troy gives his take of the conference overall as well as taking a look at the session he presented at: Analyze this...Analyze That! A Conversation on the Maddening Science of Online Analytics.

Field & Stream Magazine has named Bend, OR one of "The Best Fishing Towns in America".

Kirk Deeter's article lists Bend as #8 overall and calls the town the "in-place for the outdoors crowd".

Click here to read more

The list is composed of towns/places with under 100,000 residents which were rated on costs, attractions, distractions, seasons and fishing action.

Results are in for the 2007 Oregon Bounty promotion and they are stronger than ever. Click here to download the full report - which can be found on the Travel Oregon Industry website.

Now in its 5th year, Oregon's most comprehensive, statewide tourism promotion continues to position Oregon as a unique culinary destination and motivate travel to Oregon. Of particular note, a few measurements from 2007:

• Response rates to advertising, a key measure of how effective our marketing efforts are, were up 20% over 2006 (and up 49% since 2005)
• 58% of consumers surveyed said Oregon Bounty motivated them to travel to Oregon
• 77% of those said they chose to stay overnight
• 64% said Oregon Bounty motivated them to plan a trip to Oregon at a later date

Our key goals in the campaign remain the same: to position Oregon as a place where it's still possible to have authentic encounters with the artisans who produce our wine, beer, cuisine and specialty products, and to motivate travel to Oregon in both the short and long term - importantly, for an overnight stay.