International travel publisher Lonely Planet puts West Virginia tourism in elite class
Gov. Jim Justice announced that West Virginia was named a Top Travel Region to visit in 2022 by Lonely Planet, as a part of its annual Best in Travel awards. West Virginia, the only state in the country selected, joins a first-class group of international destinations.
“West Virginia is on a roll. I’ve been saying since my first day in office that we have to tell our state’s story, and we’re doing just that and it’s working,” Gov. Justice said. “West Virginia is a world-class, four-season travel destination, and thanks to this announcement, travelers around the world will be adding the Mountain State to their travel bucket list for 2022. I’d like to thank the Lonely Planet team for this designation and all they do to promote and support travel and tourism.”
West Virginia joins a star-studded lineup of global destinations, like Westfjords, Iceland; Scenic Rim, Australia; Vancouver Island, Canada; and Burgundy, France, in the category for Best Travel Region 2022.
This year’s award recipients were selected from a Best in Travel survey shared across the Lonely Planet team, including every staff member, more than 200 travel writers, bloggers, publishing partners and more – who all shared their top travel destinations for the coming year.
The list was then paired down and sent to a panel of five travel experts. Each destination was judged based on several factors, including its readiness to accept return visitation in 2022 and the judges’ excitement to travel there.
Lonely Planet says “2022 is the perfect time to discover West Virginia, a still-uncrowded region with unspoiled mountains and unmistakable heritage where the leisurely tempo of Southern small towns converges with the adrenaline sports that attract adventurers from across the continent.”
As a part of this designation, West Virginia will receive a featured write-up in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2022 book, as well as online content. This announcement has the potential to reach hundreds of millions of travelers and share with them the best of Almost Heaven, West Virginia as they plan their trips next year.
“This is such an honor for West Virginia. Governor Justice has been a true visionary for our state’s tourism industry, and I appreciate all of the time he has poured into big, bold ideas to tell our state’s story,” said Chelsea Ruby, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Tourism.
“West Virginia is an incredible four-season travel destination, and we can’t wait to welcome new visitors as they plan their trips to the Best in Travel destinations for 2022.”