There’s a lot of hard work going on in West Virginia. But there’s also a lot of fun and play too. According to the West Virginia Department of Tourism, travel-related spending totaled $4.9 billion in 2021. That works out to just under 7 percent of the state’s “gross domestic product” (GDP) — slightly lower than the economic impact of manufacturing (10.2% of GDP) and coal production (10%), but higher than retail sales (6.6%) and oil production (6%) according to statistics published by the West Virginia Department of Tourism and IBISworld.
Tourism Promotion Make A Positive Impression
All that play introduces people to the Mountaineer state in a positive way. What the Department of Tourism describes as a “halo effect,” the advertising that promotes tourism has a beneficial effect on people considering West Virginia a place to put down deeper roots (see chart below).
All Businesses Can Benefit
Tourists represent opportunities for local businesses to grow and prosper as well. The West Virginia Department of Tourism has a variety of programs and tools available to businesses — whether they consider themselves typical travel-related businesses or just local businesses with products and services that travelers seek out for that “unique” experience that makes vacationing exciting. There’s no charge to sign up at WVtourism.com/portal-registration and explore the resources.
(Above) In Jefferson County, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is the designated marketing organization, working with the West Virginia Department of Tourism to promote the county as a tourist destination. The CVB recently hosted a “tourism summit” at the Bavarian Inn, to introduce local businesses to the resources available to assist them in attracting tourists as customers. The event also provided a forum for business owners to network with others and think about opportunities to collaborate.
By Staff Contributor