Visit Bend: Sustainability Fund

Visit Bend

Tourism That Gives Back: Bend’s Sustainability Model

Destination: Bend, Oregon, USA

Organization: Visit Bend

Consumer website

What if every tourist dollar helped build trails, preserve history, and support your local community? In Bend, Oregon, tourism is about investments in a better future for all.

Visit Bend’s Bend Sustainability Fund exemplifies how DMOs can empower local communities through tourism. Guided by a sustainability model that balances economic growth, community wellbeing, and environmental stewardship, Visit Bend collaborates with residents, agencies, and partners to build a thriving future for both visitors and locals. The Bend Sustainability Fund reinvests a significant portion of lodging tax revenue directly into community projects, transforming tourism dollars into long-term assets. 

Since its inception, Visit Bend has allocated over $5 million through this fund and its sister program, the Cultural Tourism Fund, supporting initiatives such as new trails, accessible river access, and cultural events like Winter PrideFest. One notable project even saved a historic building and improved walkability by relocating the structure to a new site. These efforts reflect Visit Bend’s commitment to using tourism as a force for good. 

As Nate Wyeth of Visit Bend explains on the Travel Beyond podcast, when travelers stay in Bend, their spending fuels projects that preserve the city’s natural beauty and cultural vibrancy. This approach not only enhances the visitor experience but ensures Bend remains a special, sustainable place for future generations.