Greater Parkersburg CVB receives award at tourism conference

Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Mark Lewis, left, poses for a photo with Tom Heywood, representing Bowles Rice, one of the lead sponsors of the 2025 Hospitality University conference, after receiving the Excellence in Tourism Development award at the conference in January at the Greenbrier resort. (Photo provided by the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau)
From staff reports
PARKERSBURG — The Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau was recently honored at a statewide tourism conference.
The bureau and President and CEO Mark Lewis won the Excellence in Tourism Development award at the 2025 Hospitality University conference held Jan. 26-28 at the Greenbrier and hosted by the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association and the West Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. The award recognized the financial investment made in developing the visitors welcome center adjacent to Point Park in downtown Parkersburg and the resulting positive economic impact to the area, according to a release from the CVB.
“We are proud of what the new welcome center has meant to tourism in our area and honored to have been recognized by our peers in the industry for our efforts” Lewis said in the release. “The new welcome center has been a game-changer for us in terms of our ability to encourage additional tourism spending. Since our move to the new location, the number of visitors has increased from 600-700 visitors a year to over 8,000 visitors in 2024!”
Other honorees at the conference were:
* Excellence in Tourism Education – Pierpont Food Service Management Programs
* Carol Fulks Excellence in Tourism Advocacy – Jeffrey Lusk, Hatfield-McCoy Trails
* Excellence in Tourism Customer Service – Wendy Anderson, Fairfield Inn and Suites Fairmont
* Excellence in Tourism Entrepreneurship – Beau Robinson, Natives Fly Fishing
This was the 15th edition of Hospitality University, attended by over 300 representatives of the travel and tourism industry, and hospitality students and educators.
The West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association represents the food service, lodging, convention and visitors bureaus and travel industries in the state. The West Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus is a nonprofit membership organization of bureau CEOs.