Tag: West Virginia Tourism Office

Tourism Budget Review Highlights Pro Sports Partners, Waterfalls Trail, Tourism School Classes

On Monday, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby gave a preview of the state’s $25.6 million, 2023 and 2024 tourism budgets to the interim Joint Standing Committee on Finance

On Monday, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby gave a preview of the state’s $25.6 million, 2023 and 2024 tourism budgets to the interim Joint Standing Committee on Finance. She said they are flat budgets both years.

Ruby highlighted a $5.2 million federal grant earmarked for workforce development. She said the state currently employs more than 44,000 direct tourism jobs, and with expected growth, the industry will have 24,000 annual job openings.

Ruby said starting this year there will be middle and high school classes offered to teach kids about jobs in the tourism industry.

“You’ve heard all kinds of kids talk about wanting to be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer,” Ruby said. “I bet you haven’t heard a kid say, ‘I want to go into the hospitality industry.’ And that’s something that we want to change, especially with the bright future here in West Virginia.”

Ruby explained plans for the high school tourism classes to also earn college credits as part of a career pathway program. She also said higher and non-traditional education are career pathway targets.

“We’re currently working with the higher education policy commission in the community and technical system to do a survey to really do a needs assessment and figure out where we need additional programs,” Ruby said. “Are there universities, are there institutions that could set up specialized programs? We’re figuring out where those are and will we have the funds to help them get them up and running. There will be some new certificate programs as well.”

Ruby said state tourism revenue has never been higher.

“This year we will go over $5 billion, which is the highest that the state has ever seen in traveler spending,” Ruby said. “It’s equal to about $13.6 million per day.

Regarding tourism growth throughout the state, Ruby told lawmakers that gains were not isolated among West Virginia’s nine travel regions, but impacted across the board..

“Last year, we saw growth in all of these regions,” Ruby said. “It’s not that it’s all happening in the New River Gorge or Eastern Panhandle or Southern West Virginia, this growth really continues to be widespread.”

Ruby said advertising West Virginia tourism is paying off with a continually refined effort. She said the state will target more television and radio ads in the receptive Detroit area, along with New York City and Philadelphia. She said the state is involved in strategic market partnership with professional sports teams like the NHL’s Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.

“If you go to a game this winter there, you will see all things ‘Almost Heaven.’The reason we’re doing these two is we were looking for fall and winter opportunities,” Ruby said. “These are not only our two largest markets, but our two fastest growing markets.”

She made prominent mention of the state’s “waterfall trail” program, calling it “magic in a bottle” for tourism draws.

“There are 29 waterfalls all around the state. You don’t have to download an app, you can just check in on your phone,” Ruby said. “Since we launched it in June, I think we have had more than 20,000 check-ins to our waterfalls. We’ve had visitors from 49 states.”

“I need to figure out what the 50th state is and get someone here,” Ruby told lawmakers about the waterfall trail visitors.

West Virginia House Votes To Bump Economic Development, Tourism Posts To Cabinet-Level Secretaries

The West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill that would bump two high-profile jobs in state government to cabinet-level positions. Lawmakers in the lower chamber voted Wednesday to approve House Bill 2019.

The measure would elevate the director and commissioner positions within the Office of Economic Development and Tourism Office — both currently housed within the state Department of Commerce — to cabinet-level secretary positions.

The bill would create separate departments for each secretary position, although the bill outlines no additional personnel and has no impact on the state budget. The current salaries for the respective director and commissioner position would not change as a result of the bill. It would only change the title of those positions.

In recent weeks, former Senate President Mitch Carmichael took on the role as director in the Office of Economic Development. Chelsea Ruby has been the Commissioner of Tourism since Gov. Jim Justice first took office in January 2017.

While House Bill 2019 would affect anyone who would hold these positions in the future, Justice mentioned both Carmichael and Ruby in his state of the state address last week at the opening of the legislative session.

“Tonight, I am asking you to create two agencies, two new cabinet positions. I will put Mitch Carmichael in the economic development position and Chelsea Ruby in the tourism position. Mitch is stuck on ‘on.’ Everybody that knows Mitch knows he’s stuck on ‘on’ all the time,” Justice said. “He could probably sell bread to starving Russians on credit. And Chelsea has done an amazing, amazing job. That’s all there is to it.”

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, spoke in opposition to House Bill 2019 during Wednesday’s floor session, arguing that the bill unnecessarily rewards Carmichael.

“I sincerely wish that we could have divided the bill and could vote on elevating the director of tourism and the director of economic development cabinet-level positions separately,” Pushkin said.

Pushkin noted that last summer, when delegates had secured enough signatures to call themselves into a special session — to address the governor’s unilateral approach to the coronavirus pandemic — Carmichael halted that effort in the Senate.

He insinuated that Carmichael’s new job was somehow a favor handed down by Justice.

“We’re rewarding that bad behavior with a cabinet-level position and a retirement plan that’s going to be based on almost a six figure salary for the rest of his life,” said Pushkin, without mentioning Carmichael by name. “This is in no way personal. I like him. He’s my friend.”

House Republicans argued that the bill was not about Carmichael or Ruby themselves, but the positions they hold — and giving those department secretaries more weight in carrying out the work of the state.

“This is just another thing we need to do to elevate the importance of these two offices,” Del. Vernon Criss, R-Wood said. “This elevation is important for tourism. It’s also important for economic development.”

House Government Organization Chair Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, took questions from Del. Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer, about whether the bill would open the door for more costs into the future.

“Would you agree that it does create the possibility — maybe even the propensity — for there to be growth within those departments in the future?” Gearheart asked.

“I think that would have to be dealt with on separate legislation that would have to come before this body,” Steele answered.

In the end, the bill received overwhelming bipartisan support and passed on an 86-13 vote. House Bill 2019 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

New Partnership with Award-Winning Video Game Publisher Aims to Boost Tourism in W.Va.

The award-winning video game publisher Bethesda Softworks is launching a new online game set in post-nuclear West Virginia, and the West Virginia Tourism Office is partnering with the company to promote both the game and the state.

Gov. Jim Justice said in a news release the West Virginia Tourism Office will collaborate with Bethesda Softworks to create advertising strategies to educate players about West Virginia’s landscape and culture, as well as offer an open invitation to visit the state over the coming months.

“It’s finally time the rest of the world sees what a gem West Virginia is,” said Justice. “For years, I’ve been saying we have it all: beautiful scenery, the best people you could ask for and more. And now, we get to share a piece of that with people all over the world through the unique lens of this video game.”

The game, called Fallout 76, was officially announced in June and is a prequel to the family of Fallout video games that started in the late 90s. All Fallout games are set in post-apocalyptic times with cyberpunk and retro futuristic art and style.

Credit Bethesda Softworks, LLC
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Fallout 76 will be the largest and most ambitious of the Fallout family of games. Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby said in the news release she feels the partnership with Bethesda will be a major benefit to the state.

“Our goal is to welcome each and every one of the game’s players to Almost Heaven,” said Ruby. “Bethesda has been a terrific partner since day one. They’ve really embraced West Virginia and its beauty. We believe this unique partnership has tremendous potential to bring folks to visit the Mountain State.”

Fallout 76 is set to launch in November.

West Virginia Tourism Gets 'Almost Heaven' Rights

A song beloved by West Virginians will now represent the state across the country. The West Virginia Tourism Office is hoping the song will help promote the state.

The West Virginia Tourism Office says it has obtained rights to use the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in marketing and will begin this week.

Made famous by John Denver, it calls the mountain state “almost heaven,” and has been an unofficial West Virginia anthem practically since its 1971 release. It was named an official state song in 2014.

Fans sing it at West Virginia University home football games.

The tourism office says it will make it a centerpiece of a major ad campaign next year.

According to National Public Radio, Denver first heard the incomplete song in the Washington, D.C., apartment of songwriter Bill Danoff and his girlfriend and writing partner, Taffy Nivert.

They finished it and recorded it together months later in New York City.

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