Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 in a multi-part series centering around the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau 2022 Tourism Summit.
SHEPHERDSTOWN — West Virginia Department of Tourism Cabinet Secretary Chelsea Ruby traveled to the Eastern Panhandle on Wednesday to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2022 Jefferson County Tourism Summit held at the Bavarian Inn.
Ruby was appointed to her position by Gov. Jim Justice in March 2021, marking an elevation of the West Virginia Tourism Office to a cabinet-level department. Under Ruby’s leadership, tourism has seen historic success, and the department has received numerous marketing and advertising accolades for the “Almost Heaven” brand campaign.
Ruby began her remarks saying that she is a “West Virginian by choice,” adding that when she resided in Washington D.C., she often visited the Eastern Panhandle and became a great fan of the area.
“This area is just starting to reach its potential,” Ruby told her audience. “Tourism is a team sport. No organization is in charge. We must work together.”
She added that her office works on the marketing, while those attending the summit are responsible for welcoming the people.
Ruby provided some detailed statistics on the amount of money that is generated through tourism in West Virginia. She shared that tourism-specific businesses and ancillary businesses generate upward of $800 million per year in West Virginia and produce more than 78,000 jobs.
“Those numbers continue to grow because of the team work,” Ruby said.
Ruby shared that there are three trends currently important to tourists. They include the ability to travel to uncrowded places, to visit small towns and to take part in outdoor recreation.
“We have always been promoting those,” Ruby said. “They will continue to be strong themes from our office.”
Through the collection of data via cell phones, Ruby told summit attendees that in 2021, there was a record number of visits to West Virginia, including day trips. Examples of areas that have seen increased visits were the Hatfield/McCoy Trail, with a 46% increase, and the New River Gorge, for whitewater rafting, up 26%.
While outdoor recreation is top on visitors’ lists, Ruby explained that the definition of outdoor recreation is broad.
“It includes everything from climbing Seneca Rocks to walking a path outdoors,” Ruby said. “The No. 1 thing people want is scenic beauty and being outside.”
She added that the popularity of outdoor recreation jumped during COVID and continues to be a high priority for visitors moving forward.
Ruby described three categories of travelers. Among them are what she referred to as adventurists, defined as people with two or more in their party who plan their vacations around a specific activity. Secondly, she categorized those who are outdoor family focused, those who travel as a family with either small children or teens. The final group, golden explorers, Ruby defined as seniors often traveling multi-generationally.
Marketing and public relations to target these groups and all other potential visitors to the Mountain State are the key parts of Ruby’s office.
“West Virginia is getting national and international recognition,” Ruby said.
Promoting areas such as state parks and the two national parks within the state are key to bringing visitors. She shared that the state has put $151 million into the state parks to improve them.
“Revenue is up 52% over four years,” she explained. “There were nine million new visitors to the state parks last year.”
She also said that the design of the newest national park in West Virginia has brought a lot of tourism not only to the park itself but to the state as a whole.
