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Protecting West Virginia’s Wilderness is Important to West Virginia’s Economy
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2005

A new study commissioned by the West Virginia Division of Tourism shows that the state’s travel and tourism industry continues to have a positive economic impact in our Wild and Wonderful West Virginia

A new study commissioned by the West Virginia Division of Tourism shows that the state’s travel and tourism industry continues to have a positive and growing economic impact on earnings, employment and tax revenue. The study was completed by Dean Runyan Associates for the years 2000 through 2004 and shows that:

Travel spending by all overnight and day visitors in West Virginia was more than $3.4 billion in the 2004 calendar year.  Travel spending in West Virginia has increased by 11.4 percent per year since 2000. Visitors who stayed overnight in commercial lodging facilities spent $1.2 billion on their trips in 2004. Day travelers spent $1.7 billion.

During 2004, visitor spending in West Virginia directly supported more than 40,000 jobs with earnings of $766 million. Travel spending generated the greatest number of jobs in accommodations and food services, arts, entertainment and recreation, such as performing arts, outdoor recreation and sightseeing. Local and state tax revenues generated by travel spending were $536 million in 2004. Without these travel generated tax revenues, each household in West Virginia would have had to pay an additional $730 in state and local taxes to maintain current service levels.

“This study is important for the tourism industry because it reaffirms that tourism is growing in West Virginia,” said Betty Carver, Tourism Commissioner. “We used the same type of data that other industries use when they estimate their economic impact,” Carver said. “With this research, we can look at the direct impact tourism has, using existing statistics from county, state and federal reports.”

This study demonstrates why diversifying West Virginia’s economy is important.  Protecting the Wild and Wonderful aspects of our state will provide a reliable, sustainable source of economic activity and allow our state to wean itself from the destruction and devastation caused by the extractive industries.  By protecting our special resources like Wilderness that bring visitors to our state, a stable economy will be created, which is in sharp contrast to the boom and bust cycles of the logging and mining industries.