GWTTRA Schedule and Program

Beneath the Surface: The Economic Signals Every Tourism Leader Should Know

As the economic landscape continues to shift, understanding the signals influencing consumer behavior and travel patterns is more important than ever.

In this keynote session, leading economic and tourism research experts will examine where the economy is heading and how emerging trends may shape travel and tourism demand. The discussion will help attendees interpret the economic signals that matter most and consider what they mean for destinations, organizations, and future planning.

Decoding the Western American Traveler: Why Travelers Choose, Spend, and Go

Economic indicators tell part of the story. Data from travelers tell the rest. Drawing on insights from thousands of travelers across the United States, this session explores the attitudes, motivations, and spending decisions shaping travel demand today. As consumers navigate a shifting economic landscape, what experiences are they prioritizing? Where are they willing to splurge, where are they pulling back, and what ultimately drives the decision to book a trip?

Following the economic keynote, we’ll turn our attention to the consumer, uncovering emerging behaviors, changing expectations, and hidden signals. Some findings will confirm what you already suspect. Others may challenge conventional wisdom. Join us for an engaging look inside the mind of today’s traveler and discover what it could mean for the future of tourism.

Geolocation, Lodging, Survey Panels: Finding Clarity in the Evolving Data Landscape

The data landscape that DMOs have relied on for years is rapidly evolving.

Expanding privacy protections, platform transformations, and shifting survey methodologies are reshaping the foundation of destination analytics. Join industry experts for an engaging dialogue on the changes themselves, and how DMOs can maximize their data intelligence in a world where access, measurement, and consumer privacy are being redefined in real time.

The rules are changing. How will your destination adapt?

• From Terroir to Destination: A relational perspective on wine tourism
• The Keepers of Land and Culture: How Regional Identity Shapes Sustainability Behavior in Family-Owned Rural Tourism Businesses
• The Invisibility of Neurodivergent Tourists: A Scoping Review
• Food Tourism Attitudes and Behaviors Among U.S. Travelers: Changes from 2020 to 2026
• Whose Road, Whose Voice? A Documentary Analysis of the Authorization of Formula 1 in Las Vegas

Game On: Sports, Data, and the Value to Destinations

Sports travel continues to grow as a major driver of visitation and economic impact for destinations of all sizes, but how do communities measure its value? In this panel discussion, leaders from the industry will discuss how destinations attract and incentivize sports events and tournaments.

Panelists will dive into the value of sports travel, criteria used to evaluate opportunities, and the tools that help quantify the true impact of sports-related visitation. Attendees will gain insights into how other destinations across the West are measuring performance, understanding traveler behavior, and aligning sports tourism strategies with broader destination goals.

Concurrent academic research presentations.

Winning Resident Support: Insights from Oregon and Bend’s Success Story

Oregon includes everything from established tourism destinations to smaller communities where the visitor economy is still developing. To understand how residents across the state feel about tourism, Travel Oregon conducts a biannual resident sentiment study.

Javier Parada Torres will share key statewide findings and explore how perceptions of tourism differ across Oregon’s diverse communities.

Nate Wyeth will then take a closer look at Bend, a destination that has experienced one of the most significant positive shifts in resident sentiment toward tourism over the past three years. Attendees will learn about the community-focused strategies behind that change and the role Visit Bend played in building a more positive relationship between residents and tourism.

This session is sponsored by Lauren Schlau Consulting.

From Promise to Impact: Insights and Lessons from Route 66 Centennial and FIFA World Cup

Gianni Infantino famously suggested that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would deliver the equivalent impact of 104 Super Bowls, while AAA estimated that more than 100 million U.S. adults planned to travel some portion of Route 66 during its Centennial year. Those projections may have overstated the eventual scale of impact, but major events can still deliver meaningful economic benefits, along with less tangible gains such as increased awareness, positive buzz, and stronger destination perceptions.

With the Greater West preparing to host a series of major events in the coming years, including multiple Super Bowl events, LA28, Rugby World Cups and the Winter Olympic Games, understanding what these events actually deliver is increasingly important.

This session will examine two major 2026 events, the recently completed FIFA World Cup and the ongoing Route 66 Centennial, through the experiences of organizations directly involved in each. Speakers will share measurable impacts and lessons from FIFA alongside early insights from Route 66, highlighting what is translating into effective strategy as the Centennial continues.

The discussion will explore how these learnings can inform planning for future live events of all sizes, from global megaevents to smaller regional and community-driven occasions.