City of Coos Bay newsletter – Tourism is big business in Oregon. According to Dean Runyan Associates, visitor spending in Oregon last year was $13.9 billion which supports over 117,000 jobs across Oregon. Cultivating this multibillion-dollar industry takes more than a little effort. In 1995 the Oregon Tourism Commission (OTC), doing business as Travel Oregon, was formed. Travel Oregon is a semi-independent agency which is governed by a nine-member governor-appointed board. In 2019, Lucinda DiNovo was appointed by former Oregon Governor Kate Brown to serve on the Oregon Tourism Commission. For the past year, she has served as Vice Chair of the organization and beginning July 1 she will assume the role as Chair. Lucinda began her career in the gaming and hospitality industry almost 27 years ago, and currently serves as Director of Sales for The Mill Casino • Hotel and RV Park, owned by the Coquille Indian Tribe. She holds a degree in business management and marketing from Oregon State University. In addition to serving on the Oregon Tourism Commission, Lucinda is the Council President on the Coos Bay City Council, and she serves as Chair of the Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor and Convention Bureau Board. She also is a Past President of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow and has served on numerous other boards, including the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association and Board of Trustees for the Coos History Museum.
