WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s tourism commissioner revealed the cover of the 2015 Official State Travel Guide Wednesday at the welcome center off Interstate 77 in Williamstown.
The main image is a closeup of a southern West Virginia resident splashing through whitewater rapids with a look of exhilaration on her face.
“I think she kind of embodies everything we are in West Virginia – wild and wonderful with that great outdoor spirit, and also fun,” Commissioner of Tourism Amy Shuler Goodwin said.
She said tourism also is big business in the Mountain State, generating $5.1 billion a year. In Wood County, tourism is the source of approximately $124 million in revenue and supports more than 1,100 jobs, Goodwin said.
The Williamstown welcome center was selected for the unveiling in part because of its excellent staff and its importance as a gateway from Ohio, Goodwin said.
“We have great welcome centers all over the state, but this one kind of represents everything that’s good,” she said.
Welcome center supervisor Debbie Florence said the staff was honored to be chosen.
“It is a beautiful facility, and we just think it’s a good representation of what there really is in West Virginia,” she said.
The annual tour guide is a key resource for folks stopping at the welcome center, Florence said.
“If they have that tour guide in hand, we feel ultra-confident that they can find anything they want,” she said.
With information from around the state, Florence said, it isn’t just travelers who like to pick up the guide. Local residents “are coming in on a daily basis saying, ‘Is it here yet? Is it here yet?'” she said.
Goodwin said employees of the welcome center supplement the information in the tour guide by helping visitors book activities and accommodations as well as personal insights about destinations.
As a traveler, “I want to know what your experience was,” she said. “They know all the intricate details that you just can’t get in a book.”
Although the Division of Tourism has increased its emphasis on online marketing since Goodwin was appointed last year, interest in print guides is increasing, particularly among younger travelers, said Steven Keith, editor of the travel guide for travel marketing company Miles.
Print guides are the third most popular source of travel information behind the Internet and word of mouth, he said.
The division had 350,000 copies of the guide printed and will request more if needed.
“We took a completely different approach to the content,” Keith said, noting lengthier articles and features were replaced with lists highlighting different aspects like “10 Finds for Foodies” or “12 Outdoor Adventures.” “It still covers all the bases, but in a more fun way.”
Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau President Mark Lewis praised Goodwin’s efforts to promote the state online and said it’s important for West Virginia’s story to be told to potential visitors.
“We are not willing to settle for being the best-kept secret in travel and tourism,” he said.
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