By Sarah Richardson
At this week’s meeting of the Lewisburg City Council, Kara Dense, President and CEO of the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, presented the CVB’s annual report. She highlighted some new numbers in the regional tourism industry, with an across-the-board increase in tourism in both the state and the county.
Statewide, Dense reports that West Virginia reached 75 million visitors in 2023, a new record for the state. There was an $8.7 billion economic impact, $2.1 billion in labor employment, 60,000 jobs, and $1 billion in state and local taxes generated. In Greenbrier County for 2023, there was $399.4 million in direct spending, 3,562 jobs, $123 million in employment earnings, and $41.73 million in state and local taxes generated here.
“We are very proud of those numbers,” said Dense, “and we hope that the state, as well as us, can keep promoting tourism and bringing people here and showing them just how beautiful and wonderful our state is.”
She also announced to Council the CVB will be going by a new name: Experience Greenbrier Valley. While they will still be operating as the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in legal paperwork and other documentation, the new trade name will be a shorter daily name that will now appear on their letterhead and in other places.
Dense said that the Visitor’s Center has been an accredited agency since 2006 when the accreditation process was first implemented, meaning they can receive funding from hotel/motel taxes. In 2021 the legislature passed a bill stating that all CVB’s receiving county or municipal funds must be accredited. The re-accreditation process is held every three years, and she noted that our CVB is looked at as a “gold standard” and always passes this accreditation process “with flying colors,” and she anticipates no issues with the reaccreditation that’s due next year.
She listed some recent wins in the region, including Lewisburg being named Best Small Town Food Scene by USA Today for 2024. “We were very proud to win that,” said Dense.
In other news:
- City Manager Misty Hill, speaking at the meeting via phone, said that “everything with the new water plant is going great,” and they remain on-schedule.
- Resolution 563, which relates to a U.S. 60 Sidewalk project grant, was reviewed by Council. The City had applied to the Department of Transportation, Department of Highways for a supplemental agreement for a project for $1,800 for the U.S. 60 sidewalk. Lewisburg has to pay a $360 match. After being recommended by the Finance Committee, Council voted to pass the resolution.
