Gov. Justice says ‘West Virginia welcomed more visitors last year than ever before’

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia had another record-breaking tourism year in 2023, with a total impact of near $9 billion, according to Gov. Jim Justice (R).

Justice said in a press release Wednesday that 75 million people visited West Virginia last year and that both visitors and economic impacts have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

According to Justice, visitor spending has increased in West Virginia by 23% since 2019, compared to 9% nationally.

“Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company that measures tourism spending and economic impact, found that visitors to the state had direct spending of $6.3 billion last year, an all-time high,” the release said.

The release broke down the top categories for the state’s record 2023 spending:

• Food and beverage – $1.7 billion
• Recreation – $1.5 billion
• Retail – $1.2 billion
• Transportation – $1 billion

“There’s a reason we’re on worldwide travel guides saying West Virginia is the state to visit. It’s because we have four incredible seasons and the nicest people on the planet. What we’ve been able to accomplish in this industry is truly amazing, and I cannot thank Secretary Ruby and everyone involved in the tourism industry enough for making our state shine bright like the diamond we are, because it’s working,” Justice said in the release.

The tourism industry in West Virginia also generated $1 billion in tax revenue in 2023 and supported nearly 60,000 jobs, the release said.

The numbers were presented at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism where Gov. Justice was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership in growing West Virginia’s tourism industry.

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