talking shop ON LOCATION OREGON In......... Although it resides just above California
on America’s north-west coast, Oregon is a lot sparser and less well-known than its neighbour – which is why Toni Svensson of STA Travel in Kensington, London, joined a fam trip to the state. Here is what he found: “Fifteen hours, two in-flight meals and
three movies later I arrived in Portland, Oregon, ready to take on my great adventure. Our first two days were spent in Portland and I was amazed by how friendly the ‘Portlanders’ are and how clean their city is. For its relatively young age, it has a lot to see and seems to be a city at the forefront of the sustainability revolution – not the US I imagined! For example, the restaurants all serve
fresh, local and sustainable food too. “During our time based in Portland we visited a couple of vineyards for some wine tasting. It’s extraordinary how, in a relatively difficult climate, they manage to produce such fine wines. I also managed to fit in some welcome tax-free shopping for my girlfriend. “After Portland we headed round the
Bend – or rather to Bend, an awesome little town. With the white stuff dumping like there was no tomorrow we got our gear and headed up the mountain. Kristine from The Central Oregon Visitors Association showed us all the cool runs and quirky off-piste short cuts.
OREGON Recommendations...
• Book a dog-sledding experience at Mount Bachelor
• Visit the Japanese garden in Portland
• Don’t miss the scenery along the Columbia River Highway, past the Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge
• Delta and KLM offer daily flights to Portland PDX from Heathrow from £499
It’s not possible to put words to my experience of this mountain, however, if there is such a thing as heaven I’m pretty sure it’s like Mount Bachelor. No wait, it's Oregon! As well as skiing and boarding, there is snowshoeing and dog- sledding. Ski Bowl’s night skiing is famous – and great fun – too. “After Bend, we drove north to Mount Hood, another excellent drive along a stunning scenic route. We stopped at Smith Rock State Park for some lunch and had a little wander amongst the deep river canyons to soak up the sun and the gorgeous views that
66 Date 2011 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
Above: Toni Svensson (Back left) at Smith Rock State Park with his fam collegues. Below: Toni (left) & Kieron Weidner of EverGreen Escapes night skiing on Mount Hood
somehow seem to follow you wherever you go in Oregon. The snowboarding experience on Mount Hood was certainly equal in quality to Bachelor. “On our epic journey back to Portland
We stopped at Hood River, a cute little town where we came across the mighty Columbia River. This town is known for its constant wind, making it an ideal place for wind and kite surfers, as well as fishing, white-water rafting and mountain biking. However, I decided to have a coffee instead! "We made our last stop at the great Multnomah Falls, the USA’s second highest, it looked like it was taken out of a fantasy film. It’s not every day you fall head over heels in love, but when I boarded our Delta flight back to the UK I knew I had found somewhere that will always be close to my heart. "Oregon is the ideal recommendation
for any client wanting stunning nature or adrenaline-fuelled adventures. However, it’s equally ideal for someone who just wants to relax and put their feet up in front of the open fire with a nice cup of tea and a good book. "I think Oregon is the perfect place for
our student and youth market, and I’m certain that with the right tools and support we’ll be able to put Oregon where it belongs, on everyone’s wish list!"
ABTA is looking forward to attending the ACE Convention in Southampton (May 3-5). I will be going, along with my colleagues Julie Graves and Steve Barnes. We’ll again have a stand in the Trade Fair this year so please come along and chat to us if you are attending. We’ll have lots of information about our free online training tools. By then, we will have launched Module Two of Accessible Travel Made Easy. Building on the training that ABTA has developed with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it focuses on assisting customers with accessibility needs. Module Two will help companies to understand why it is important to cater for this market, with guidance on the sort of policies, procedures and training they should have in place. You will have to register on the
ABTA system to access the training. It will all be available on www.
accessibletravelmadeeasy.com. The training is both interactive and engaging. ABTA’s next seminar is Travel Law,
(May 25 and 25). A Beginner's Guide to Travel Law takes place on June 14. See
www.abta.com/events. If you would like further
information on ABTA’s online training and events programme please contact me, Vicki Wolf, on
vwolf@abta.co.uk or call em on 020 3117 0549.
Tourism update ABTA
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