PARKERSBURG, WV (September 23, 2009) – A recent study released by the West Virginia Division of Tourism revealed that tourism continues to be a growth industry in West Virginia as well as in Wood County. 

The independent study commissioned by the West Virginia Division of Tourism documents the level of travel spending and the impact this spending has on the economy in terms of earnings, employment and tax revenue.

The study, completed by Dean Runyan Associates, details the economic impact of each county within the state in 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2008:

Wood County

                                                              2000                 2004                   2006                 2008

Travel Spending ($M)                          77.7                  88.6                   100.8                 115.8

Earnings ($M)                                       20.0                  20.1                   20.1                   21.0

Employment                                         1,240                 1,140                  1,110                1,090

Local Government Revenue ($)         501,000             484,000             478,000              871,000

State Government Revenue ($)          6,232,000          6,391,000          6,595,000          7,331,000

“We’re thrilled and pleased that spending by travelers is continuing to increase and that Wood County’s travel industry continues to be a strong growth industry,” Greater Parkersburg Convention & Visitors Bureau President Steve Nicely said. “We believe the strategic marketing efforts that we as a CVB have taken these past few years, combined with our partners’ marketing efforts, are proving effective.”

Nicely indicated the only number that dropped slightly relates to the number of travel/tourism jobs in the county. “A number of other counties experienced the same drop in employment numbers over the past few years. Even though overall travel expenditures by visitors grew, the travel industry, like all industries, is trying to do more with fewer employees. We’re not immune to that trend. The good thing is that the cut back in employment was minimal.”

The Dean Runyan Associates study is a grassroots approach to the research that analyzes the travel economic impacts at the state, regional and county levels. Dean Runyan Associates used information provided by the West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue, the West Virginia Racing Commission, the West Virginia Lottery and West Virginia State Parks and Forests. Federal assistance came from the USDA Forest Service, Department of Labor and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Visitor spending is identified for types of accommodations, such as hotels and motels, campgrounds, private homes, vacation homes and day travel with no accommodations. It also takes into account goods purchased, such as accommodations, food and beverages, food stores, transportation and motor fuel, arts, entertainment, recreation, gaming and retail sales. The study further takes this information and details industry earnings, industry employment and tax receipts generated.

“The Dean Runyan Associates study, used the same type of data that other industries use when they estimate their economic impact,” said Betty Carver, Tourism commissioner. “With this research we can look at the direct impact tourism has, using existing statistics from county, state and federal reports.”

Travel Findings for the State of West Virginia in 2008

• Travel spending by all overnight and day visitors in West Virginia generated more than $4.38 billion in the 2008 calendar year. This is equivalent to approximately $12 million dollars per day.

• Travel spending in West Virginia has increased by 7.8 percent per year since 2000. In constant dollars (adjusted for inflation), travel spending has increased by 4.5 percent for the same period.

• Visitors who stayed overnight in commercial lodging facilities spent $1.4 billion on their trips in 2008. This is about one-third of all travel spending in the state.

• Day travelers spent $2.1 billion, or nearly one-half of the state’s total travel spending, substantially on gaming and entertainment.

• During 2008, visitor spending in West Virginia directly supported 44,000 jobs with earnings of $912 million. Travel spending generated the greatest number of jobs in accommodations and food services, arts and entertainment and recreation.

• Local and state tax revenues generated by travel spending were $591 million in 2008. Without these travel-generated tax revenues, each household in West Virginia would have had to pay an additional $799 in state and local taxes to maintain current service levels.

Dean Runyan Associates is an Oregon-based firm that has specialized in research and planning services for the travel, tourism and recreation industries since 1984. The firm developed and maintains the Regional Travel Impact Model (RTIM), a proprietary computer model for analyzing travel economic impacts at the state, regional and local levels. The company has extensive experience in project feasibility analysis, market evaluation, survey research and travel and tourism planning. Dean Runyan Associates has conducted similar studies for the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

The study will be available for download from the West Virginia Division of Tourism’s Web site at www.wvtourism.com on Sept. 25.

To learn more about Greater Parkersburg’s travel industry, contact the CVB office at 304-428-1130 or visit www.greaterparkersburg.com.

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