TORONTO — The Travel Oregon team was at Planta Toronto last night to promote its current campaign, ‘Only Slightly Exaggerated.’

Instead of using typical destination photos, the campaign makes use of cinematic animation to convey the magical feeling of being in Oregon. The logic is that even the most advanced cameras are unable to capture the entirety of the Oregon experience, which is why travellers are encouraged to visit and see for themselves.

The animation showcases Oregon’s diverse range of outdoor adventures, like mountain biking, swimming and hot air ballooning, in all of the state’s seven tourism regions.

“As more travellers seek health and wellness, alongside memorable and sharable moments, the time is right to showcase the outdoor adventures available in every corner of the state and build upon the US$11.3 billion a year in visitor spending that directly employs more than 109,000 Oregonians,” said Travel Oregon CEO Todd Davidson.

A top draw in Southern Oregon is Crater Lake National Park in the Cascade Mountains. Formed by a collapsed volcano, the lake is the deepest in the U.S. and known for its clarity. According to the National Park Service, the lake is the cleanest and clearest large body of water in the world as there are no inflowing streams and it’s fed only by rain and snow.

Oregon is also quite the wine region, with an ideal climate for growing wine grapes. More than 70 different varietals of grapes, including some obscure ones, are grown in five distinct regions. The Willamette Valley, for example, has more than 500 wineries. An excellent way to explore them and other attractions is by cycling the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.

The big announcement at last night’s event was Air Canada Rouge’s new daily flights from Toronto to Portland, starting May 24 and running until Oct. 25. The route will operate with A319s, with 136 seats. This marks a significant increase in capacity as the route was previously flown on the Embraer 90, which has 97 seats. Twelve of the seats on the A319s on the route will be Premium Rouge seats.

Canada is Oregon’s top international market. Visit traveloregon.com for more details.