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The following editorial appeared in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, W.Va., a CNHI newspaper. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Times-News.
While the news shouldn’t come as a surprise to most, 2023 was another banner year for tourism in the Mountain State.
Here in southern West Virginia, tourism is one of the region’s largest growth sectors. The region’s many outdoor activities, including the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, have been a major driver in tourism growth in recent years. But that trend also is continuing on the state level.
Gov. Jim Justice announced last week that the tourism industry’s total economic impact approached $9 billion last year. Furthermore, visitor volume to the state reached 75 million in 2023.
Those visitors spent $6.3 billion in the state, 5.6% more than in 2022, according to the governor’s office. These levels of visitation and spending are both above 2019 levels, demonstrating a full recovery from the pandemic and robust new growth, Justice said.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company that measures tourism spending and economic impact, found that visitors to the state had direct spending of $6.3 billion last year, an all-time high.
“From day one, I knew that investing in our tourism industry was going to be a key driver in West Virginia’s rise,” Justice said last week. “There’s a reason we’re on worldwide travel guides saying West Virginia is the state to visit. It’s because we have four incredible seasons and the nicest people on the planet.”
Visitor spending in West Virginia has grown more than 40% — or nearly $2 billion in annual spending — since 2017, despite the pandemic that began in 2020. The governor’s office said levels of visitation and spending are both above 2019 levels, which demonstrate a recovery from the pandemic and expansion into new growth territory.
Traveler spending in West Virginia contributes significantly to the state’s economy. Food and beverage spending topped $1.7 billion in 2023. Recreation spending rose to $1.5 billion, a 24% share of the total $6.3 billion spent, with retail and transportation spending accounting for 20% and 16% of the total, respectively.
The tourism industry generated $1 billion in tax revenues last year, with $597.8 million going directly to state and local governments, according to the data from the governor’s offfice. Tourism-generated tax dollars also contributed approximately $835 per household to maintaining government services.
As more visitors discover our great outdoor adventures, tourism growth will certainly continue on its upward trajectory. That’s ensures more wins for our region, and the state as a whole.
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