MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — State officials appear to have a plan to maximize the tourism industry in West Virginia and a way to execute it.
Governor Patrick Morrisey joined over 400 tourism officials from around the Mountain State, where he addressed the over $9 billion in economic impact generated by the tourism industry just last year alone. This included a showcase of programs implemented by the West Virginia Department of Tourism and State Secretary of Tourism Chelsea Ruby, which varied from direct use of advertising dollars allocated by state officials to the start-up of state ambassador programs, all of which are expected to be given more financial support in the coming years.
“All of the work and the investment that’s going into tourism, we’re doubling down on that,” said Morrisey. “Because there’s a chance for West Virginia to really soar, and I do believe that it’s also critical in terms of our efforts to be able to lift our population up.”
According to Morrisey, the West Virginia Department of Tourism focused on several different aspects of the Mountain State while also implementing numerous programs that highlight the natural beauty. That includes the hundreds of millions of dollars in allocations by state leaders to support tourism, which is used for advertising campaigns that showcase well-known landmarks such as the New River Gorge, Harpers Ferry, and the thousands of miles of trails that are located around the state. These are supported by the West Virginia Works, a state-funded program that has 10,000 residents from across the state that aim to show off all the things that can keep visitors here for longer.
“We’re trying to make sure that we let people know about the underlying beauty of West Virginia first,” said Morrisey. “Before the event, I was thinking about the job opportunities, because if you’re predisposed to come live in a beautiful state, then that’s going to make it a lot easier to sell and to bring more people to West Virginia to work.”
In the $9.1 billion in economic impact brought on by the tourism industry, Ruby showcased growth numbers that are considered above and beyond the tourism visitation and spending levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of that economic impact, visitor volume reached 77.2 million people with a visitor spend of $6.6 billion, a 28.2% increase over 2019. For state officials, the positive numbers are a result of both efforts made by the state as well as the attractions that are continuing to grow in West Virginia.
“We’ve got the tried and true, we’ve got the New River Gorge, we’ve got Harper’s Ferry, Blackwater Falls, but we also have all kinds of new things,” said Ruby. “So we’ve got a new mountain coaster in Mercer County, we’ve got a bungee jumping place in Harper’s Ferry, we have all kinds of new fairs and festivals—it’s those experiences.”
Heading into the future, Morrisey affirmed that the state will continue to financially support tourism in the near future, with the investment also reflecting in tax revenues going towards West Virginia coffers. As part of the $6.6 billion in tourist spending, just over $1.1 billion in tax revenues were generated, with $619 million of that going directly towards state and local governments. With over 61,000 West Virginia jobs supported by the tourism industry, all signs are showing that more state dollars will be used to support them in the coming years.
“More visitors to New River Gorge, the national park, means more people staying in hotels,” said Morrisey.”That’s more tax revenue that gets fed back in to build the standard of living up, return more money back to the people, it’s a great thing.”