According to Allison Keeney, spokeswoman for Travel Oregon (the state's tourism commission), wildfires that occur in one area often have little impact on the rest of the state and cause very few disruptions to travel. This is true for the fires currently in progress, which are in remote wildland areas.According to Justin Yax, a spokesperson for the Washington tourism board, there has been very little, if any, tourism impacts from fire smoke in Washington's scenic Walla Walla Valley.The Walla Walla Valley has actually seen an increase in visitor numbers in recent years, when other wine regions have been dealing with the effects and smoke from wildfires. He was referring to California's Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Barbara counties which were all hard hit by fire in recent years.Two nearby fires in the Methow Valley have forced evacuations in many towns. At a July community meeting, Winthrop's mayor, Wash., described the fires as a "season-ending event" for tourism.Sun Mountain Lodge evacuated all its guests. The resort called future guests to encourage them to book later in the year. The resort is currently closed.Maria Caputo in Montana, who manages Lamplighter Cabin & Suites, Helena's capital, stated that many guests called her to cancel their reservations because of the smoke.Ms. Caputo stated that they were open with them. I don't want anyone to come here with unhealthy breathing conditions or any other issues.
