The number of convention attendees visiting Portland is poised to drop sharply next year, a lingering echo of the trauma the city endured in the pandemic and its aftermath.

Portland is set to draw about 260,000 convention visitors in 2025. That’s well ahead of pre-COVID levels and the city’s third strong year of convention business in a row. But convention visitors will drop substantially in 2026, based on current booking levels.

The reason? A hangover from the pandemic era, and the accompanying upheaval that blighted Portland and its national image.

“We saw this coming. This is not a surprise to us. We knew the storm was arriving and now it’s here,” said Marcus Hibdon, communications director for Travel Portland, the not-for-profit agency that markets the city to visitors.

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