LEWISBURG, W.Va. — “Everything changed on June 23.”
Because of the flood that surged through Greenbrier County on that summer day, the work of the county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau took on a new urgency.
Kara Dense, the agency’s executive director, noted to city council this past week that not only were key attractions — like The Greenbrier resort and the Greenbrier River Trail — directly affected by the floodwaters, employment in the local tourism industry took an immediate nosedive.
Unlike a store that can sell a blender or a shirt tomorrow if no one buys it today, a hotel room, theater seat or restaurant table doesn’t have a “shelf life,” Dense pointed out. Once lost, the revenue from today’s room rental, ticket for a performance or food and beverage tab cannot simply roll over until the following day; it’s gone forever.
And with every passing day after the much-publicized flood, as public perception in the marketplace fixed Greenbrier County firmly in the “disaster-stricken” slot, tourism revenue — and jobs — dwindled.
“This is something that we could suffer… for months and even years on end,” Dense said. “People needed to go back to work.”
Taking note that tourism is the county’s top employer, responsible for one in eight jobs and boasting a $98 million annual payroll, the CVB quickly proposed an emergency marketing plan designed to counter the tourist-discouraging image that persisted long after the floodwaters had receded and recovery had begun.
“Our job is to put heads in beds,” Dense told council, explaining that more tourists means more income for local businesses, more jobs for the populace and more tax revenue to fuel government services and the CVB’s continuing marketing efforts.
After an acrimonious round of negotiations, the CVB reached an agreement with the Greenbrier County Commission for a $450,000 loan to finance the emergency marketing plan.
Operating with a new logo/slogan — “Simply get away” — the CVB has begun resetting the county’s image to match its pre-flood reputation as a tourist mecca.
Much of the early focus of this campaign centers on the two crown jewels of local tourism — The Greenbrier resort near White Sulphur Springs and downtown Lewisburg, both of which were also heavily promoted in the 2016 Greenbrier Valley Visitors Guide.
Primarily distributed through the Visitors Center, that guide also was inserted in local newspapers earlier this year in an effort to more fully engage people who live in the Greenbrier Valley with the tourism industry.
“We want to make sure locals know how important tourism is,” Dense said.
One of the CVB’s new initiatives is the social media-centric ShopGBV campaign, designed to “further build brand awareness, promote area partners and showcase the unique retail and local downtown shopping experiences throughout the Greenbrier Valley,” according to a recent media release.
“Shopping in the Greenbrier Valley is unlike any other experience, and we are using this campaign to communicate that to visitors,” Dense said in the release. “During the holiday season, visitors can come for the day, for a few days or for the weekend and enjoy all we have to offer.”
The “Simply get away” program will not stop with the holiday season, Dense emphasized in her report to Lewisburg City Council. She noted that she and her nine-member staff will begin planning a spring campaign right after Thanksgiving.
Dense said she also intends to bring meeting planners to the Greenbrier Valley early next year in order to spur large group bookings in 2017.
Information collected by the CVB over the past year produced a Greenbrier County “visitor profile” that is summarized in the organization’s 2015-16 annual report.
The profile indicates that nearly half of all visitors were here on vacation and the majority prefer to stay in a hotel/motel or at The Greenbrier resort. Scenic drives, dining out and visiting The Greenbrier topped the list of visitors’ primary activities while in the local area.
Asked what they like most about Greenbrier County, visitors most frequently cited scenic beauty, historical sites, The Greenbrier, mountain landscapes, friendly people, relaxing environment and urban/rural mix.
Most visitors were between the ages of 35 and 64, and more than half were women. The vast majority (80 percent) reported at least some post-secondary education.
Also according to the annual report, the Greenbrier Valley’s primary tourism markets are Charleston, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Washington, D.C., and Roanoke and Richmond, Va.
Additional information is available on the CVB’s website, GreenbrierWV.com.
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