West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey punctuated his state conference on tourism last week with an exclamation mark as he revealed record-setting numbers from the state tourism industry. The governor noted that “This tourism boom is a direct reflection of the hard work happening in every corner of our state, proving that when we cut red tape and move at the speed of business, travelers and companies alike are ready to experience everything West Virginia has to offer.”
The numbers revealed that the Mountain State tourism economy grew by 1.6 percent in 2025 over the previous year, with more than 78.4 million visitors. The release from the governor’s office added that “overnight travelers grew by nearly two percent, injecting $6.8 billion directly into local communities, averaging $18.7 million spent every single day to support small businesses, lodging, and outdoor recreation.” Accolades came from outside the state as well, as “Travel + Leisure recently ranked West Virginia as the second most naturally beautiful state in America, noting it as the only state in the top 10 to perform consistently well across every category measured.”
Within that growth, Pendleton County has seen its own tourism economy expand considerably. From 2023 to 2024, tourism and visitor spending in the county rose from $16.15 million to $17.1 million with the number of related jobs ranging from 80 to 250.
Annie Humes, Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, stated that a broader time frame reveals that Pendleton County has consistently increased its tourism economy by approximately 16 percent per year since 2017. These numbers are based on hotel/motel tax receipts and may not include other expanding aspects of Pendleton County tourism.
Humes added that effective partnerships helped to fuel the surge and credited efforts by Region 8 Economic Planning and Development Council, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, and Mon Forest Towns. Direct advice and encouragement, as well as grant support, have been employed in the tourism growth effort.
“The sky’s the limit in terms of what Pendleton County has,” said Humes. While the county has missed out on the state’s emphasis on its park and resort network and has no four-lane highway access, federal and other recreation areas produce significant draws. Locally organized and operated festivals and other events also bring tourism to the area.
The CVB director also shared her impression of Kayla Kessinger, the new secretary of tourism. Humes stated that the departure of Chelsea Ruby, former secretary, caused concern due to her near-universally praised work in the role. At the Governor’s Tourism Conference earlier this month, Humes stated that Kessinger “did a really wonderful job. She was so welcoming, spent as much time as she could getting to know everyone.”
Jared VanMeter, executive director of the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce, noted the need to focus on tourism. “We have a declining population,” he explained, adding that “businesses want to grow and sustain themselves” but in many cases must rely on traffic from outside the county for revenue.
With the Town of Franklin “economically growing,” infrastructure has emerged as an important point of debate. “Parking has been an issue,” VanMeter noted, going on to say “the infrastructure is really not there to sustain people coming in and out” of Franklin.
West Virginia Tourism’s numbers by visitor spending place Jefferson County as the top travel and tourism economy in the state with a little more than $900 million in economic impact. Kanawha County, fueled by state government and multiple colleges and universities, came in second with $565 million. Important to remember, visitor travel includes not only tourism, but also pass-through travelers as well as those coming to an area for work instead of pleasure. Visits by parents and others to college students also impact the tourism numbers.
Jefferson County comes in second to Pocahontas, however, when spending is examined per capita. In a recent year, Pocahontas County saw $19,240 per person spent. Jefferson County had $14,670 per person. Humes noted that “what we share with Pocahontas County is a very small population,” but Pocahontas County effectively maximizes the impact of its “robust resort location,” including lodging, and shopping options along with the Roadkill Festival in Marlinton.
She shared that Hillsboro has even seen significant tourism spending from those making their way north to other attractions in that county.
Ohio came in third with $13,030, and Tucker fourth with $12,880 per person. Monongalia and Kanawha placed at 10th and 11th, respectively.
Harrison placed 15th at $3,450, Hardy 16th with $3,265, Randolph 19th at $2,880, and Pendleton at 20th, with tourism and travel spending at $2,690 per person.
A per capita ranking illustrates the statistics better in terms of how well a county performs despite being urban or rural, or sparsely or heavily populated. It reflects the impact of the effort undertaken at the local level more than locally specific advantages underlying certain county numbers, such as Kanawha. The impact of hosting a residential college or university also makes a difference.
