Portland Months Of Protests Take A Toll On City's Tourist Appeal

PORTLAND, OR — Travel Portland, the city's tourism and convention agency, arrived at a city council hearing Wednesday morning with some bad news. People are not as anxious to come to Portland.

Officials cited a variety of reasons for the downturn.

Increased violence as evidenced by a record number of shootings and homicides – and it's only October, homeless camps springing up more frequently, and months of protests have made the city less attractive as a destination.

Live in Portland? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone.

A major problem has been these factors have resulted in conference organizers looking elsewhere to stage their events. People hear about all the problems and no longer consider the city a place that they want to visit, officials said. They look at Portland and are fearful.

The lack of conferences has had a ripple effect. Fewer conferences means that fewer people have been in the city. And by not being here, they're not spending money. That's hurting businesses large and small.

City commissioners replied that they are united in trying to turn things around, working to get the homeless off the streets and into organized camps, even hiring more police.