ASHLAND, Ore. — The city of Ashland has actually seen an increase in tourism and new visitors in Ashland. Many businesses in Ashland have changed their products to go with the increase in road trips.
Restaurants have also gotten creative with handling to-go and curbside orders. The Ashland Chamber of Commerce also held a online cooking and cocktail class to help keep up the culinary scene for the city.
"We saw a tremendous amount of new visitors, first-time visitors to Ashland. Some of those might have only been visiting us once, but we're actually seeing a trend of a lottery visitors, younger visitors, those who are seeking those outdoor experiences . . . that's translating into fall and we've seen strong occupancy in September and October," said Katharine Cato, from the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and Travel Ashland.
But with the two-week freeze, the city is noticing a decrease in travel this holiday season. There is a travel advisory for Oregon, Washington and California, asking people to self-quarantine after traveling for at least 14 days. The advisory is also asking people to stay local while traveling and is for non-essential travel such as tourism.
