Travel Portland President and CEO to Retire

Jeff Miller, president and CEO of Travel Portland, has announced his retirement from the convention and visitors bureau, effective in December. The search process will begin in July to find a new leader for the Oregon city's destination marketing organization.

Travel Portland is responsible for creating travel demand that generated $5.6 billion in visitor spending in 2023, supported 34,300 tourism-related jobs, and brought in more than $260 million in local and state taxes.

"Jeff Miller's nearly two decades at the helm of Travel Portland have been marked by extraordinary vision and tireless dedication, including harnessing tourism as a force for community good and economic vitality,” said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “His initiatives have significantly shaped Portland's reputation as a premier destination. We are deeply grateful for Jeff's many contributions to our community and relentless advocacy for our city.”

A trusted, long-term leader

Miller has spent nearly 19 years in Travel Portland’s lead role. During his tenure, Portland experienced record-breaking tourism numbers annually for a decade following the end of the Great Recession in 2009, and the city has been celebrated by domestic and international media for its culinary scene, friendly residents and outdoor adventures, among numerous other accolades. International tourism opened new markets, such as Australia and South Korea, while longstanding relationships have flourished in Japan and Europe. 

Also under his guidance, convention sales attracted numerous events to the city and brought the largest conventions the city had ever experienced.

Handling the Covid crisis

After years of unprecedented growth, Miller valiantly led the organization through the pandemic, as well as subsequent years of negative media attention and declining consumer sentiment, which has delayed tourism recovery.

“Jeff’s contributions to tourism locally cannot be overstated,” said Martin McAllister, general manager of the 506-room Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront and chair of the Travel Portland board. “He has built a destination marketing and management organization which is the envy of many other cities and has been extremely effective in driving tourism demand and economic impact to the city of Portland. He has been a staunch leader of the tourism industry, a tireless promoter of the city and trusted advisor to many. He will be missed and we have all been lucky to have him at the helm of this important institution.”

A DEI champion

Miller has long been a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, both internally and externally.

“I am exceptionally proud that we have made great strides in spreading the positive impacts of tourism to communities throughout the city, especially the communities that have historically been ignored or negatively affected by the tourism economy and growth in the city,” he said. “I am also proud that we have added significant diversity to our staff through intentional hiring and recruiting. Although my time at Travel Portland is nearing its end, this work will continue as a foundation of the organization.”

Supporting tourism through thick and thin

In 2012, Miller led an successful effort to create a Tourism Improvement District in the city which would collect an additional assessment from overnight visitors staying in hotels and short-term rentals to fund more ambitious marketing and promotion efforts. The industry peaked in 2019 and hotels were near capacity during the busy summer months. Visitors spent $5.6 billion, supporting 36,900 jobs and generating $278 million in state and local taxes that year. The pandemic in early 2020 ground tourism to halt, and Miller led a painful effort to reduce staff, lower costs and then rebuild the tourism sector.

“Tourism recovery in Portland has been a slow climb out of a deep hole, but I truly believe Travel Portland is doing its best work now and over the last couple of years,” Miller said. “I believe in Portland and I believe in the dedicated tourism professionals who will carry the torch after me. Portland’s comeback is well underway even if we need more time to break the records set in 2019.”

Filling big shoes

The recruitment effort for Miller's replacement will begin in July and is expected to conclude in December. After the new president and CEO is announced, Miller will consult through the transition period until June 2025.

“I’m excited to pursue other interests, but also committed to a smooth transition and using the next year to ensure the organization remains well positioned for future success,” Miller said.