OTE - Oregon Travel Experience

About Oregon Travel Information Council

TIC is a semi-independent State of Oregon agency created in the 1970s to operate the highway blue logo sign program following the Highway Beautification Act. We also operate the Oregon Historical Marker and Heritage Tree Programs, and a growing number of rest areas.

We operate staffed rest areas at 25 locations around Oregon, providing clean, safe and inviting locations that are open and free to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And they are used… by about 15 million people last year, and that doesn’t count all those who use the rest area only to stretch their legs, exercise a pet, or get a cup of free coffee from our non-profit volunteers. We assist travelers with everything from lost keys, wallets and cell phones, to working with Oregon State Polices to request safety checks and assist travelers in distress.

Our highway logo signs and information kiosks help direct you to essential services. We point the way not only with signs, but by partnering with local businesses and other agencies to give you the information you need to find restaurants, places to sleep, regional attractions and fueling stations.

Our mission

“OTIC serves Oregon travelers and local communities by providing safe and welcoming rest areas, helpful highway signage, informative historical markers, and heritage tree designations.”

Our programs

We are a semi-independent state agency with a diverse portfolio. Our programs help strengthen local economic infrastructure across the state by directing traffic to essential services with our highway logo sign program. We also ensure that travel is both safe and convenient with onsite rest area supervision; our supervisor teams oversee all aspects of rest area operations, from cleanliness and changing flat tires or charging dead batteries to handing out tips about where to find an open diner.

Travel Information Council also administers the Oregon Heritage Tree and Oregon Historical Marker programs with groups of highly motivated and professional volunteers. These programs preserve our state’s important historical icons. Many of us can recall standing in front of a historical marker as a child and reading about an event which took place over a hundred years ago; TIC ensures that significant trees and historical markers retain their significance for future generations.

Our partnerships

TIC’s inter-agency partnerships connect motorists and businesses to the Oregon Department of Transportation, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Tourism Commission as the “go to” experts on what to do, where to stay, and what to see when visiting Oregon.

Please visit our partners page for a list of our partner agencies and organizations.

Our history

When the governing council was formed in 1972 by the Oregon Legislature, our state was an early adopter of the Federal Highway Beautification Act. The bill encouraged states to replace billboards with highway logo signs as a means of directing motorists to essential services. Oregon Travel Information Council continues to develop new ways to serve Oregon business owners and the motorists who depend on their products.