Explore Sisters is tasked with promoting Sisters

Sisters City Council approved entering into an agreement with Explore Sisters, a destination management organization (DMO) on September 14, 2022. Now that it's 2025, it appears to some that the group is three years old, and several merchants and curious citizens are questioning what exactly it is that the DMO is doing to promote Sisters.

Scott Humpert, the DMO's executive director, explains that their work is not quite two years in the making.

Photo by Bill Bartlett

Scott Humpert, executive director of Explore Sisters, and Katera Woodbridge, freelance marketing consultant. The Destination Management Organization is clarifying its roll in the Sisters tourism landscape.

"We spent the first several months putting together the brand and getting ourselves organized," he said.

He compared it to any new store or shop that takes months or weeks to put up shelves, stock them, hire staff, and hang up a sign before opening its doors.

Explore Sisters is funded by the city's TLT (Transient Lodging Tax), approximately $1 million annually collected from hotels, motels, campgrounds, and vacation rentals. Explore Sisters, per its three-year contract, is awarded $350,000 annually from the tax. In addition, Explore Sisters received a $100,000 start-up fund around July of 2022.

Prior to Explore Sisters, tourism promotion was carried out for the city by Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, which still actively promotes tourism to Sisters Country, as does Travel Oregon, the statewide tourism agency, Visit Central Oregon, and Sisters Business Association (SBA). It is this apparent overlap that causes concern among some merchants.

Todd Dow who owns Makin' It Local on West Cascade is one such shopkeeper who is a member of both the Chamber, where he has been a board member, and SBA.

"I don't have enough information or know exactly what their mission is," Dow said. "There's so much overlap, and I'm not sure we are getting the most for our dollar among so many organizations with the same purpose."

Dow includes EDCO (Economic Development of Central Oregon) who also promote Sisters but not from the tourism angle. They are devoted to bringing or expanding businesses to Sisters, Bend, La Pine, Prineville, Sunriver and Redmond.

Dow is trying to bring all the players to the table to create more synergy. It hasn't been as easy in practice as on paper. "We need to be smarter about this, and eliminate any duplication," Dow said.

He wants Explore Sisters to be more specific and intentional in their marketing and spending.

Humpert said, "Per our contract with the City we must make periodic reports of our business plans. Our next report and budget will be presented in February. This is a public meeting and a good time for anybody interested to come and take part in the discussion."

Humpert further explains that, "...per Oregon law we must spend the bulk of our money more than 50 miles from town, so it's not easy to see our work."

Explore Sisters hopes to expand its promotion and publicity into Seattle, but for now it concentrates on Portland and the Willamette Valley.

However, Explore Sisters does do some local promotion such as its new in-town lamp post banners, sponsorships of local events like 4th Fest, and some area advertising in publications owned by The Nugget including Sisters Oregon Guide and Spirit of Central Oregon.

"These publications get distribution well beyond Sisters," Humpert said.

Humpert is the only Explore Sisters employee at the moment. They have retained a freelance marketing consultant, Katera Woodbridge. Woodbridge commutes from Bend.

There has been vocal criticism that Explore Sisters does not use local talent for branding, website development, and social media on which the DMO relies heavily to get out its message. In response, Humpert said, "I know that there is a good talent pool in Sisters and Central Oregon, but to get up and running efficiently I chose to work with vendors I worked with before who are experts specifically in tourism marketing."

The Explore Sisters website has been up since January of 2024.

Humpert says that any criticism of Explore Sisters not being available to explain its mission or to court collaboration is unfounded.

"I meet regularly with as many businesses and groups as I can to explain our roll and get their feedback," he said.

Josh Smith who owns The Paper Place on East Hood Avenue agrees. He is president of SBA and says Explore Sisters is an active member.

"We hope to do joint media promotions with Explore Sisters and collaborate on other projects," Smith said. "One of our goals is to direct more tourist traffic to Hood and Main, as so many limit themselves to Cascade."

Another occasional criticism has been the lack of a tourist information center. That was remedied last August when Explore Sisters rented the city owned property at 291 E. Main Ave. previously occupied for years by the Chamber.

Humpert has been asked why the visitor center isn't staffed more frequently. It's a question of budget he says, and points out with pride that the center has state of the art electronics whereby visitors can scan a QR code and learn about area businesses and activities.

The center is also loaded with printed material for visitors to take with them.