Tourism WV . com

Join us as we explore West Virginia’s tourism economy. Although its not commonly examined as a separate sector of the economy, in West Virginia tourism has become a vital provider of jobs and income, and has become the largest industry in many areas of the state. We’ll examine the tourism industry’s direct and indirect impact on local economies, and consider the economic benefits of tourism statewide.

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Accurate assessment of the economic impact of tourism is difficult, as the tourism industry is not defined separately in the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. But a 2005 report prepared for the West Virginia Division of Tourism went to great lengths to provide a real-world economic picture of the state’s “invisible industry,” the tourism industry.

According to the report, West Virginia’s travel and tourism industry generated an estimated $3.4 billion in economic activity, attracting 10.46 million overnight and 39.8 million day visitors to the Mountain State and directly supporting 40,800 jobs paying $766 million in wages during 2004.

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