Governor Justice Announces Soaring Hotel Occupancy
Logan County event celebrates increased traveler spending and infrastructure development
Logan, WV (July 25, 2018) – Governor Jim Justice today unveiled new data that show a sharp increase in West Virginia hotel occupancy.
Joined by the state’s Tourism Commission and dozens of hospitality industry representatives, Governor Justice announced that statewide hotel occupancy in June jumped 16.1% from the same month last year. Combined with a robust average room rate, the occupancy boom also produced a 20% revenue increase in a year-over-year comparison with June 2017.
“What you see here is hard work paying off,” said Governor Justice. “Since I started this job, one of my top priorities has been to get the word out about what an amazing place this is. We have four beautiful seasons, the friendliest folks in the world, and activities to fit every budget and interest.
“One of my first decisions in office was to launch a new tourism campaign that would spread that message like never before,” the Governor continued. “West Virginians should be proud of what we’ve done here, because it takes all of us, telling our story and rolling out the welcome mat, to make this happen.”
Governor Justice delivered the good news from the front porch of a newly constructed luxury cabin at Chief Logan State Park. Dedicated just last week, the new Chief Logan cabins will serve visitors to the Hatfield McCoy trail system, one of the state’s fastest growing tourist attractions.
“From day one, the Governor had a vision for what could happen with West Virginia tourism,” said state Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby. “The success we’ve seen this year is a direct result of that vision and the Governor’s commitment to growing our tourism industry. Tourism means jobs, and the numbers that the Governor released today translate into more West Virginians working in a sector that still has enormous room to expand.”
The occupancy gains have been widespread. Governor Justice announced increases for every region of the state and shared impressive year-to-date figures. In the first two quarters of 2018, occupancy is up 11.7% producing revenue growth of 14.9%.
* Source: STR, Inc., 2018
“When I took office, our tourism industry had dropped for five straight years,” the Governor said. “Just as in other sectors of our economy, we’re getting this one turned around and heading in the right direction. This is just the beginning of what we can accomplish as a state if we invest wisely, work hard, and keep our eye on the ball.”
Statewide hotel occupancy rates are reported by STR, a global hotel research company. STR collects monthly data from more than 58,000 hotels around the world, representing more than 7.9 million rooms in 600 different markets.
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This post was last updated on July 26, 2018