South Coast Tourism Impact Study
Learn how sea otters might impact travel and tourism related industries on the Southern Oregon Coast.
Sea Otter Reintroduction to the Southern Oregon Coast:
Projected Regional Travel Impacts
The Elakha Alliance contracted with Dean Runyon & Associates to complete a study focused on how reintroducing sea otters to the Southern Oregon coast could impact the travel and tourism industries in the region. Wildlife tourism is a sector of the travel industry that offers visitors the opportunity to view, appreciate, or learn about wildlife. Like all other sectors of the travel industry, wildlife tourism injects “outside money” into the local economy. The study estimates that there would be a positive economic impact due to increased travel-related spending in the region once a sea otter population is established.
"Given these two potential revenue sources, we estimate that the Southern Oregon Coast could realize approximately $3.5 million in increased spending once a sea otter population is established. This projection would amount to a 1% increase in travel-related spending to the region, a figure that aligns with the research by Loomis."
