Department of Tourism Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Despite Summer Drought, Leaves Are Full Of Life And Color

Nearly all corners of the state are now seeing some of the red, yellows, and oranges of autumn foliage. This year’s seasonal display is predicted by the West Virginia Department of Tourism to be one of the longest lasting fall foliages in decades

After a record summer drought many naturalists were expecting a dull and short lived fall. However the colors are vibrant and the leaves are hanging on.

*Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Tourism experts say colors throughout the state are vivid, and many regions still have more fall colors on the way.

Moisture in late summer and early fall brought some life back to trees, and ideal fall conditions like sunny warm days and cold nights helped trees produce colorful leaves.
The tourism department says some of the best places to see fall foliage right now are Coopers Rock State Park, North Bend State Park, Wheeling, Clay County, and Charleston.

W.Va. Waterfall Trail Set To Expand

The West Virginia Waterfall Trail will include nine more stops statewide bringing the total of destinations on the list to 38.

The trail was created last summer as a tourism initiative to attract nature-lovers to the state. It’s used as a guide for waterfall hunters and spans southern West Virginia to the Northern Panhandle.

More than 35,000 participants have checked in to the trail from 49 states and 15 countries since its launch, according to Gov. Jim Justice’s announcement during his regular briefing Wednesday morning.

The expansion includes:

Westerly Falls in Fayette County
Pipestem Falls outside Hinton
Falls Mill in Braxton County
Parkinson’s Waterfall in Bethany
Mann’s Creek Falls at Babcock State Park
Sugar Camp Run Falls at Babcock State Park
Flanagan Branch Falls at Babcock State Park
Tucker Falls in Morgantown
Loopemount Waterfall in Greenbrier County

“It’s a unique offering for West Virginia as we continue to build our reputation as a true outdoor recreation state,” Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said in a statement announcing the expansion. “I can’t wait to hear more stories and meet more folks out on the trail this summer. It’s an absolutely perfect summer activity for those looking to travel the state.”

Information about the waterfall trail, including how to sign up for a mobile passport and planner, is available online.

Tourism Education Initiative Planned To Support Anticipated Jobs

The Shape Our Future educational program has launched an updated hospitality and tourism curriculum in all 55 counties. It’s meant to help the career path become more viable for students at community and technical colleges.

The West Virginia Department of Tourism is launching an education initiative in anticipation of a boom in tourism jobs across the state.

Other significant parts of the program include a program for high schoolers to receive college credit, grant funding from the Departments of Education and Tourism for students to create tourism infrastructure projects on public lands and a shift in the state’s Discover Your Future program to highlight future careers in tourism at middle schools.

The college program is part of a workforce development initiative called Tourism Works. It was created to support a growing state tourism industry. The state’s Higher Education Policy Commission predicts there will be 21,000 annual tourism openings through 2025.

“We’ve all heard people say there are no jobs in West Virginia, that you’re gonna have to move when you graduate, but that’s not true,” Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said to a group of students at Nicholas County Career and Technical College.

She announced the program at the college Tuesday alongside Gov. Jim Justice.

Plans for further expansion of the program are scheduled for next year. A tourism marketing specialization will also be launched as part of the curriculum this fall.

Advocates Push For Rail Trails To Connect State’s Tourism Economy

West Virginia has more than 500 miles of rail trails. The state is poised to get increased funding from recent federal legislation to build more.

Thousands of miles of railroad once snaked up the hollows and river valleys of West Virginia, carrying coal and passengers. Some of the state’s rail lines still serve that purpose.

Others serve a new one: building West Virginia’s tourism economy.

West Virginia has more than 500 miles of rail trails, and the state is poised to get increased funding from recent federal legislation to build more. State officials promote such trails as drivers of economic development in places that need it. But there are challenges getting the funding to cities and counties so they can make their rail trails connect to others.

West Virginia has nationally recognized rail trails. They include the North Bend Rail Trail, which covers 72 miles from Parkersburg to just west of Clarksburg.

And the Greenbrier River Trail, which runs 77 miles along its namesake waterway. Both are state parks, managed by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

A third, the 72-mile Elk River Trail, is under construction. It will be the newest state park.

West Virginia’s rail trails are set to receive even more funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of last year — a 70 percent increase.

That could mean more communities could get the chance to become “trail towns,” hubs of trail-related tourism in West Virginia and surrounding states.

“So yeah, we’re really excited to potentially be a trail town in the future,” said Carly Jones, an assistant planner in Fairmont. Fairmont is working to acquire additional railroad property to expand its rail trail system.

Eventually, it could be a part of a 230-mile trail from Parkersburg all the way to Pittsburgh. Most of the trail will be in West Virginia. There’s only about a 20-mile gap left to make it a reality.

Kelly Pack, director of trail development for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national advocacy organization, said the influx of federal funds will help close those gaps.

“These are the communities that are really well positioned to utilize this once in a generation infusion of federal dollars through the bipartisan infrastructure law,” Pack said.

But there are challenges unlocking those federal dollars. Unlike other states, West Virginia does not have dedicated funding for the acquisition, development and maintenance of rail trails.

The West Virginia Division of Highways administers the federal funding. Kent Spellman, a rail trail consultant and founder of the North Bend Rail Trail, calls the process “cumbersome” and “dysfunctional.”

“We need to work at the policy level to clean up those programs so that they’re more accessible to communities,” he said.

Spellman said some projects have been in limbo for as long as several years from the time of the award to the notice to proceed.

“That’s a ridiculous amount of time for a grant to just be sitting on the shelf not being used,” he said. “So the increase in funding is important. But even more important, is the state deciding that they want to use that efficiently and effectively.”

A new group, called WV TRAIL — which stands for Trail and Recreation Advocacy and Information Link — aims to change that.

The group was formed in 2020 and held a virtual conference last year that included mayors and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby. This year’s conference will be in person next week at the Glade Springs Resort in Beckley.

“It’s about building a network of trail advocates, users and managers, and making that network very apparent to decision makers in West Virginia,” Spellman said.

The bipartisan infrastructure law, which President Joe Biden signed last November, means West Virginia will get $11 million a year for transportation alternatives, which are non-motorized modes such as hiking and biking trails. That’s a big increase from the current $6 million, Pack said.

“That means a lot, especially for the types of projects that we’re talking about,” she said.

The new funding can help West Virginia close those remaining gaps in its rail-trail system. So can other programs, such as the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program.

A $1.5 million AMLER grant, from the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, will enable the state to purchase 23 miles of abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad right-of-way in Clay County. It will close a big gap in the winding Elk River Trail.

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, Ruby and Gov. Jim Justice kicked off the trail’s construction in 2019.

“This project is a transformational opportunity for every community through which this trail will pass,” Hanshaw said then.

Progress has moved relatively fast. The trail is now open from Hartland to Gassaway, in addition to a short section in Clendenin. Another 18 miles of trail will be built along Buffalo Creek. Trail advocates hope it can one day extend all the way into Charleston.

State officials consider such projects vital to the economic future of communities hurt by the loss of coal jobs and disasters, such as the catastrophic flood of 2016.

Other federal programs are helping support rail-trail development in West Virginia.

A $1.1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission helped create the Mountaineer Trail Network Recreation Authority. It’s a version of the successful Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in southern West Virginia, without the ATVs.

Sixteen counties are part of the network, and it projects an increase of one million visitors to the region in 10 years, and with them, hundreds of jobs.

Spellman said the authority recently hired an executive director.

“So it also will be connecting communities with funding opportunities for the development of amenities, business development opportunities,” he said, “because trails without amenities are not going to be a good experience for trail users.”

Like other tourism infrastructure, rail trails need good signage, parking and restrooms.

They also need to connect to other communities or recreational assets, Spellman said.

“A trail to nowhere from nowhere is not of great value,” he said, “but a trail that connects a community to another community, or that connects through that community, to the businesses that are in that community, or connects that rail trail to the mountain bike trail, or the water trail, or the equestrian trail.”

Spellman said West Virginia’s rail trails could be promoted as part of a package with other recreational opportunities and amenities.

“And we just have to keep up the momentum and keep providing communities, counties, and trail groups with the resources they need to be successful,” he said.

Whiskey Tourism Is Growing In West Virginia

For generations, visitors have come to West Virginia for the scenery and a taste of adventure, but over the past few years, they’re coming to sample whiskey.

For generations, visitors have come to West Virginia for the scenery and a taste of adventure, but over the past few years, they’re coming to sample something else.

Whiskey.

Jeff Arthur at Mountain State Distillery on Capitol Street in Charleston said he was making whiskey in West Virginia before making whiskey in West Virginia was cool – or at least before it was legal.

“I grew up in an area where moonshine was pretty common,” Arthur said. “I knew some people that made it and I eventually learned how to do it myself.”

Across town at the Bullock Distillery, Tighe Bullock said he got into the whiskey business as a way to become part of the neighborhood he was building in.

“I think it’s such a great American endeavor, such a great American task,” Bullock said. “You take some water, you take some corn, you care about what you do and you care about every step of the way. You put some heat in there and you have a really good product. Whiskey comes from Ireland and Scotland, but it’s an American thing.”

Brooke Glover at Swilled Dog, a Cidery and Distillery in Pendleton County, got into the alcohol business because she said her family saw an opportunity.

“Well, the cider market had a big boom, especially in Virginia, around 2016. And that’s when we really came onto the scene,” Glover said. “We found that there was a need in the state of West Virginia that wasn’t being served. There was only one other craft cider in the state. They make amazing cider, as well. We thought that there was a need and we thought that we could use that local agriculture. So, cider which is something that we love to make, and we saw a need in the marketplace.”

They each said they hoped locals would embrace the neighborhood craft distillery much in the same way they embraced neighborhood craft breweries. What they didn’t really count on were travelers stopping by on their way through or tourists seeking them out.

“We really started with people who were coming over and didn’t know about us, had heard about us from locals or just kind of searched for something on Google,” Glover said. “They didn’t have anything to do in the evenings when they were coming over to do climbing, camping and hiking and all those things. That’s how we started with bringing people in. And it has actually changed now to the majority of people who are specifically coming for Swilled Dog. They’re specifically coming to the area and they’re like, ‘What is there to do around you guys?’ And we get to tell them about all the amazing places that we have to experience West Virginia beauty.”

Bullock agreed.

“Some people seek out these kinds of things. They seek out breweries. They seek out distilleries. They seek out that ‘terroir’ of different regions,” he said. “And so we’ve seen people from Brazil, Germany, England, not to mention all the surrounding counties and states. We’ve talked about having a little map where people can put their pins where they’re from.”

It’s been a bonus for some distillers and a real shot in the arm for others.

“It’s very hit and miss,” Arthur said. “When there are events in town, be that Live on the Levee…the regatta was incredible. But even like soccer tournaments down at Shawnee – stuff like that brings all these people here to stay in these hotels. That’s where the bulk of my business comes from. If it wasn’t for tourism, I couldn’t do this.”

Tourists coming to buy products from these distilleries underscores what they say they really want to do –bring outside money into the state and then keep it local.

As much as they can, Glover and Bullock say they buy here.

“We get all of our grains from Mason County, which is old Mr. Yauger. Who, he’s got to be in his late 70s by now,” Bullock said.

Glover said they not only get apples and grain from farms in West Virginia, but they get their oak barrels in-state, too.

“We use West Virginia Great Barrel company barrels for everything that we do,” she said. “They’re in Lewisburg and they’re just amazing. The quality of what they’re producing just ups our quality exponentially. So, it kind of makes it easy.”

The more product they sell, the more local goods they’re able to buy, Bullock said.

The distilleries are trying to be destinations. They schedule live entertainment, host trivia nights and sell merchandise. Some of it comes from area artists or craft businesses.

“We make our money off of this stuff we make in the back, but we have a big tasting room and again like I said, we have a great presence in the capital city of West Virginia,” Bullock said.

“So, while we’re engaging those people, like I said, from Brazil, Germany, people that are visiting us –even if they’re just using the restroom or just getting a sandwich down at the Grill or Gonzoburger or Books and Brews. While we have that opportunity to engage them, why not introduce them to some local honeys, maple syrup that’s been aged in certain barrels? There’s always that opportunity for interaction. If I can help facilitate that, then here I am.”

The distillers all said they’ve had some good experiences with tourism but say the state could probably do more to help them. They did concede that it may not be in the hands of the Department of Tourism.

“Right now, I have a micro distillery license and I’ve already outgrown it,” Bullock said. “One of the main things being that I can’t sell out of state with my current license. I don’t know why the legislature would not want me to sell out of state. I don’t really understand that aspect of it. I think that every license that you have in distilling should enable you to sell at a state. I can’t imagine one good reason why the legislature would want to not allow us to sell out of state.”

Bullock said just allowing small companies like his to sell outside of West Virginia could benefit a lot of people. It would acquaint people with the state’s spirits which might draw fans to come to the state and visit the source. Arthur pointed out people already do this in Kentucky with that state’s popular bourbon trail.

Meanwhile, Glover said the state has been good to them, but they could really use some help from the division of highways. They’re on the wrong side of a mountain.

“Our facility is actually right on the backside of Seneca Rocks,” Glover said. “There’s no road that goes in between. So, you have to go all the way to Franklin and then all the way around. But we’re only like a couple miles just, you know –if you just make a straight line. You can do it. I think there’s like a fire road or something that some people have talked about, but we’re right there. I’m like, ‘Oh, come on, just get off the road!’”

W.Va. Tourism Growth Depends On Access To Flights

Airports are the cornerstone for the economic development and vitality of any region. As a key part of West Virginia’s transportation system, a viable airport network is the catalyst for state access to the national and worldwide marketplace.

While West Virginia is within driving range of a large percentage of the country, many visitors fly here.

With the advent of COVID-19 in 2020, the state began to see a shift from business to leisure travel. West Virginia International Yeager Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri confirms this.

“Just in the last couple of year’s we have completely changed our focus and who we advertise to and who we speak of when we talk to airlines, and that’s the tourism and leisure traveler.”

According to data from a study by tourism economic research firm Dean Runyan and Associates, in 2021 West Virginia experienced one of the most notable recoveries in the state’s tourism history. The state’s Almost Heaven” marketing campaign, initiated by West Virginia Tourism, was launched in 2018.

The New River Gorge became a national park and preserve in 2020. The following year, state and national parks enjoyed record-breaking attendance.

From white water rafting, to hiking, zip-lining, mountain biking, and winter skiing, West Virginia is recognized by Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Luxury Travel and TIME Magazine as a leading global destination. Topping the list of most visited locations:

New River Gorge
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
West Virginia State Museum
West Virginia University
The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum
Suspension Bridge
State Capitol
Berkeley Springs State Park

During the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in September, Gov. Jim Justice confirmed the state is enjoying an increase in visitors. In 2021 he said the state’s tourism industry experienced a 3.8 percent increase over pre-pandemic levels.

Justice said he believes West Virginia’s tourism economy could hit $5 billion this year for the first time in the state’s history. He said continued growth is dependent on reliable airport facilities.

“If you can’t get people here and get people to and from and you can’t get them there with some level of competitiveness like in other states, you’re really behind the eight ball,” he said. “To me you’re really splitting the bulls eye because airports are the heart of everything we have, I mean they really and truly are, as far as tourism especially.”

Early in 2020 the pandemic impacted the entire aviation industry and air travel nearly screeched to a halt. The state’s commercial service airports witnessed a far reaching reduction in scheduled airline service. The loss was compounded by a big drop in parking and landing fees, concessions revenues, user fees and fuel sales.

Since that time the state’s airports have experienced a comeback. In their 2021 Travel Impacts Study, research firm Dean Runyan and Associates reported visitors to West Virginia’s national parks spent $109 million.

“You know, we’ve made the right moves on the chess board, we’ve started promoting who we are, beyond that, we’ve upgraded our parks, we’ve done lots and lots of stuff,” Justice said. “It is really happening right now, and it is unbelievable.”

The governor said while critical to tourism growth, he admitted to what he termed a “deficiency” in the state’s airport system. He said the state must remain competitive and invest in additional flight service.

“I believe in West Virginia beyond good sense and I see the opportunities,” he said. Right this minute tourism is exploding, but we’re still getting the parsley around the sides of the plate, there’s so much more to come. It’s off the charts.”

West Virginia’s airport system encompasses 24 publicly owned, public-use airports. Seven of those, including Yeager in Charleston; Huntington Tri-State and North Central West Virginia Airport near Clarksburg, are primary use, or commercial service airports.

All 24 airports are included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).

Cindy Butler is the Commissioner of the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s new Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities. In her role she oversees the aeronautics division which promotes air safety and helps airports secure state and federal funding. That includes matching grants through the aviation fuel tax for airport improvements.

“Aero in the past has historically been able to commit to half of whatever the federal match is,” Butler said. “Now as the grants get larger we don’t know that we’d be able to do the entire amount but as long as we’re getting the special fuel aviation tax in our special revenue fund we will continue to support our airports in any way we can.”

In a 2020 Aviation Economic Impact Study the Aeronautics Commission identified visitor spending as a primary economic benefit to West Virginia’s aviation system.

“We’re looking at about an average of 147,000 visitors through the seven commercial airports, basically saying that they would be the tourist type – looking at lodging spending, retail, local transportation, food and beverage and entertainment,” Butler said. “Probably about a $49 million spend, but the total impact of everything would be about $107 million when you look at all the other factors.”

In September West Virginia International Yeager Airport completed a runway rehabilitation project and more recently the FAA approved an environment study for an expansion of the facility and terminal. As the state’s busiest commercial service facility, Yeager offers flight service on American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. Passengers can fly nonstop to Charlotte; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Atlanta; Orlando; and Myrtle Beach. The airport is currently in active negotiations with the airlines to add additional flight service to Houston and Dallas.

Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri says easier access fuels tourism spending.

“We know through multiple different studies and data points that visitors that come via air travel tend to stay longer and spend more money,” Ranieri said. “Making it easier to get to West Virginia will help the entire tourism economy and entire state.”

The airport is working with the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote Charleston and the surrounding region and can now advertise attractions like white water rafting and skiing to visitors from the Orlando area which the airport offers flight service to through Spirit Airlines.

With the opening in April of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection General Aviation Facility, Yeager is now positioned as the only international port of entry in the state. The airport’s new Bill Noe Flight School is training future pilots at a time the industry faces a major pilot shortage.

With increased capacity and new flight service Ranieri said Yeager is a gateway that connects West Virginia to the national and worldwide marketplace.

“We are fortunate to be pretty centrally located here in Charleston to most of the attractions,” Ranieri said. “The New River Gorge National Park, we are kind of the gateway to that; it’s only an hour’s drive from here and in the winter your ski destinations are not far from here as well.”

The North Central West Virginia Airport in Harrison County boasts the largest commercial service runway in the state. Airport director Rick Rock says the airport was starting to make a comeback before COVID-19. He says new flight service will facilitate a current and projected future increase in visitor traffic.

“Our current terminal was built in 1960, it’s certainly served us well but it’s outlived its useful life, so in planning for that increased traffic we’re hoping to see a new terminal in place by the last quarter of 2024,” Rock said.

Rock says with airport upgrades, and more connectivity, travelers have easier access to destinations. Contour Airlines, which has served Parkersburg and Beckley since 2017, will replace SkyWest as their new Essential Air Service provider. As of Dec.1 flights to Chicago and Washington D.C. will use Charlotte as their singular hub, a move Rock expects to bring more people back to West Virginia. Allegiant Airlines offers flights to Florida and has plans to expand further.

West Virginia Secretary of Tourism Chelsea Ruby says since the launch of their “Almost Heaven” advertising campaign in 2018, the state has experienced rapid growth, exceeding pre-pandemic highs with annual traveler spending topping $611 million.

With West Virginia just an overnight’s drive for two thirds the state’s population, the focus has traditionally been on the drive market. But Ruby said attention is now on the state’s “fly market.”

“We went from the three hour drive radius to about a four and a half drive hour radius added into new markets,” Ruby said. “Since that time we’ve started looking at fly markets and started concentrating on areas like Charlotte, Chicago- places we have direct service.”

The department’s advertising assistance to its tourism partners and airports like Yeager is working to attract visitors. The hope is to encourage West Virginians to “fly local” – something Ruby says encourages airlines to add more flight service.

West Virginia Tourism is working with tour operators to attract visitors from the international market, with a focus on Canada and Europe. Ruby says visitors from Germany, in particular, love outdoor recreation and enjoy longer vacations.

“It seems like the Germans take longer road trips, they’re going to visit multiple states, so we seem to be a good fit for the German market and will continue to invest there.”