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Tourism: We can do our part to tout West Virginia

Efforts to increase West Virginia’s tourism revenue stream appear to be working well, according to a report presented to the Commission on Tourism last week. The return on investment is double what it was in 2014, with every dollar spent on marketing efforts returning $14 in state taxes.

In 2016, the state Division of Tourism took credit for 1.2 million trips to the Mountain State.

“Our investment in tourism last year not only helped make these areas of growth possible, but we also have created tremendous momentum,” Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said. “While we have a lot of work to be proud of, there’s still work to be done as we collaborate with our tourism industry partners to make Wild, Wonderful West Virginia the premiere tourism destination.”

It’s a theme Gov.-elect Jim Justice hopes to carry into his own term in office, as he used ideas such as bringing a West Virginia version of Dollywood to our mountains as one part of his plan, on the campaign trail.

But it is also a theme we all can carry into our holiday celebrations, as we run into those who have come home for the holidays. We can remind them, West Virginia is not just a great place to visit; it is a great place to call home. For those to whom it will deep down always be home, it might be an easier sell than we imagine.

West Virginia’s Division of Tourism has done a fantastic job selling the state … to those who have never seen it. Maybe the rest of us should read up on some of their material for a reminder or two about how to convince those just looking for an excuse to come back.

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