Issue Position: Tourism

Issue Position

Jim Justice wants to create 16,000 new tourism-related jobs
over the next four years.

"I know tourism, and I've succeeded in creating new tourism jobs when many people thought I was crazy. I'll take tourism in this state to a level we've never seen before. We need to think big. What I did to increase tourism jobs at The Greenbrier I'll do all over West Virginia." -- Jim Justice

As governor, Jim will create tourism jobs by:

Luring private investment to build tourism projects. Jim will work to bring in private investors to finance new tourism opportunities. As governor, he'll find ways to cultivate public-private partnerships to grow jobs at existing state attractions. For example, Tygart Lake State Park in Taylor County is a beautiful setting that only has 20 rooms available to tourists. West Virginia has many amazing lakes and is missing out by not having additional venues that would allow more lakeside lodging options for guests.Jim will encourage the expansion of lodging choices so that visitors will extend their stays and spend more time in West Virginia. He will work to provide incentives for financing development plans. Right now, Cacapon State Park has an expansion plan in place but needs financing to make it happen. There is a role for the private sector to step up. Think of the growth that can take place along the Hatfield-McCoy Trail if we got the right investors to the table. Jim believes it could be a goldmine of new tourism jobs.
Promoting West Virginia to a broader audience. Jim wants to give tourists a reason to visit the state year-round. He'll be a marketer-in-chief who will promote all that West Virginia has to offer. Jim wants to increase the state's tourism advertising budget and launch a more aggressive marketing campaign-- think "Pure Michigan." He will work to highlight our historical tourism sites, like Matewan, Philippi, Monongah, and other locations to bring new visitors to the state. Our ski slopes are the best on the East Coast and by making a greater marketing investment, tourism will explode at our ski resorts.
Drawing major events to West Virginia. Just like he did with the PGA Tour, the NFL, and the NBA, Jim wants the Mountain State to host more economic/PR events. For example, building a state-of-the-art shooting range in southern West Virginia and hosting major shooting competitions. WVU's Ginny Thrasher won the first gold medal of the the Rio Olympics in the women's 10-meter air rifle competition; Jim wants to host similar events in our own backyard. He'll look for opportunities to bring large conferences, winter sports championships, or fishing competitions to our state.In the Eastern Panhandle, Jim wants to boost the horse racing industry by bringing a major horse race to West Virginia. Right now, Jim is planning to bring golf's U.S. Open to West Virginia.In addition, Jim wants to use the success of Randolph County as a blueprint for the rest of the state. That community is home to the American Mountain Theater, the Polar Express train in the winter, and so many other tourist attractions that create jobs.White water rafting attracts thousands of tourists each year to West Virginia. Jim wants to add more attractions along the New River to give visitors more reasons to stay longer, for example, a new wildlife park. In the Northern Panhandle, building an indoor waterpark has the potential to bring in tourists from neighboring states and help grow the Oglebay Resort in Wheeling.Our state's capitol city offers so much. Jim believes that there is no reason why Charleston can't be the most convention-friendly city on the Eastern seaboard. With the new and improved Civic Center, West Virginia needs a governor who can entice a major conference to Charleston and change the perception of our state. There is no reason why West Virginia can't regularly host big-time music festivals across the state.
Attracting the next Dollywood or Disney type resort to West Virginia. Jim Justice will work to take advantage of West Virginia's four beautiful seasons by luring a major family theme park to our state. West Virginia is a 12-hour drive from two-thirds of the U.S. population and the ideal location for the next major family-friendly resort. For example, he will explore building a country theme park promoting our rich heritage in the southern part of the state. Attractions like this will help bring more overnight guests to our state who will take advantage of multiple recreational venues, thereby multiplying the dollars they spend here.

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