Tourism strategic plan presentation from the West Virginia Governor's Conference on Tourism

2. The West Virginia Tourism Office has been working to promote West
Virginia for decades. Over the years, the agency has helped bring
positive attention and significant economic impact to the state.

3. However, tourism industry and advertising best practices have changed
tremendously, and we have to work to respond to those changes. At the
same time, West Virginia’s economic impact from tourism is declining.
The time has come for a new approach.

4. This strategic plan will outline where we are, the challenges we face, and
how we plan to address them.

5. We’ve dug into the research, reorganized our agency, and developed a
long-term product promotion and development strategy that can—and
will—turn the tides in favor of West Virginia.

6. OVERVIEW OF THE AGENCY
West Virginia Tourism Office structure, mission, vision, and values

7. WEST VIRGINIA
TOURISM OFFICE
• An agency of the West Virginia Department
of Commerce
• Led by a gubernatorially appointed
Commissioner who acts as Executive
Director
• Advised by the Tourism Commission,
an appointed advisory panel
• Funded through lottery revenue and
operates
on an annual budget of $12 million

8. MISSION
The West Virginia Tourism Office works with
private tourism industry partners to build and
promote a world-class destination that
provides jobs, stimulates investment, grows
existing businesses, and promotes a positive
image of the state as a place to visit, go to
college, live, work, and retire.

9. VISION
West Virginia is held in high regard as a top
destination for travelers in the region, across
the country, and around the world.

10. The Tourism Office
values advertising and
public relations that are
grounded in industry best
practices and informed
by real-time results.
Research is at the core
of everything we do.
Evidenced-based
Marketing:
The Tourism Office
serves as a branding hub
for West Virginia and
helps facilitate
development, but the
power and responsibility
to capitalize on those
efforts lies with the
industry.
Stakeholder
Participation:
The Tourism Office is
funded through public
revenue and has a
responsibility to
maximize return on
investment for every
taxpayer dollar.
Fiscal
Responsibility:
West Virginia is unlike
any other state, and we
like it that way. We want
to stay to true to our
people, our land, and our
inherent beauty.
Belief in
West Virginia’s
Intrinsic Value:
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

11. The act eliminated the code pertaining to the Division of Tourism and replaced it with new
code enumerating duties of the Tourism Office.
TOURISM ACT OF 2017
Cut red tape and
eliminate bureaucracy:
Restructured operations to allow for
increased flexibility to respond to
opportunities to market the state
Position office to support
economic development:
Promotes integration with the
Development Office to bring new
tourism-related development projects
and help existing businesses grow
Replace outdated advertising
grant program with modern
cooperative advertising program:
New program will be more strategic and
results-driven, will present a cohesive
image and consistent message, and
reduce costs for industry partner
The main objectives of the bill were to:

12. The act also charges the Tourism Office with “devising a comprehensive advertising, promotion,
and development plan for West Virginia Tourism.” This plan must outline strategies and activities
designed to:
• Continue, diversify and expand the tourism
base of the state as a whole;
• create tourism jobs;
• develop a highly skilled tourism workforce;
• facilitate business access to capital for
tourism;
• advertise and market the resources offered
by the state with respect to tourism
advertising, promotion and development;
• facilitate cooperation among local, regional and
private tourism enterprises;
• improve infrastructure on a state, regional and
community level in order to facilitate tourism
development;
• improve the tourism business climate generally;
and
• leverage funding from sources other than the
state, including local, federal and private
sources.
We have organized our plan into strategic issues and goals that address the objectives set out
for us in code.
TOURISM ACT OF 2017

13. TOURISM INDUSTRY IN WEST VIRGINIA
An overview of the state of the travel and tourism sector

14. West Virginia is a world-class, four-season travel and
tourism destination poised for tremendous growth
and development.

15. INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT
Source: Dean Runyan Associates, 2017

16. VISITOR PROFILE
Reason for Visit:
Source: Longwoods, 2016

17. VISITOR PROFILE
Source: Longwoods, 2016

18. • While national trends
show increases in
traveler spending, West
Virginia has seen
a decline four years in a
row.
• During this same time
period, every state
around us saw growth. BILLIONS

19. We're also lagging behind on other
fronts.
ALL THE NUMBERS ARE CONSISTENT

20. The data, while negative, shows
promising growth in the region.
We are located in the heart of a
heavily traveled tourism region,
and now is the time for West
Virginia to capitalize on that
growth and take back some
market share.

21. There's no reason we can't capture additional market share:
• Unmatched outdoor recreation opportunities
• Breathtaking scenic beauty in all nine travel regions
• Affordable and safe place to visit and stay
• Natural paradise near urbanized East Coast

22. STRATEGIC ISSUES
Challenges to growing tourism in West Virginia

23. Brand
Awareness &
Visitation
1
Fragmented
Messaging
2
Industry
Development
3
Customer
Service
Experience
4
Tourism
Funding &
Resources
5
STRATEGIC ISSUES

24. Issue 1
Brand Awareness and Visitation

25. West Virginia has a great story to tell, but unfortunately we have
many challenges to overcome. We're a small state that struggles
with negative associations and stereotypes, but we know we're
more than that.
It's time to tell our story.

26. OUR INTENT TO VISIT SCORES ARE LOW

27. WE SCORE A LITTLE BETTER ON FAVORIBILITY

28. Combat national negative stereotypes
• Brand must side step both perceived and real barriers
Create an overarching platform across both tourism and economic
development
• Build upon existing equities and current momentum
• Strengthen its focus and impact
Elevate the brand to a deeper more personal level
• Visitors and prospective visitors see themselves in the brand and have an emotional
connection with it
THE SOLUTION STARTS WITH A STRONG
BRAND MESSAGE

29. Drive more first time visitors
• Currently represent only 14% of visitations
Target prospects with more resources
• In order to increase spending, actively target prospects with a higher
household income
• Current visitors are below the US norm in education level and household
income
WE NEED TO TWEAK OUR MARKETING STRATEGY

30. • Visitors from more distant
origin markets are likely to
stay longer and spend more
money
• West Virginia has significant
populations of possible
tourists within 3- to 4-hour
drives of various regions of
the state
3 hours
4 hours
West Virginia
Source: McKinsey and Company, 2017

31. Region Names
Eastern Panhandle
Hatfield-McCoy
Metro Valley
Mid-Ohio Valley
Mountain Lakes
Mountaineer Country
New River/Greenbrier
Northern Panhandle
Potomac Highlands
Population within a 3-
hour drive (thousands)
13,808
976
3,328
1,793
741
2,845
1,647
6,298
816
Population within a 4-
hour drive (thousands)
23,458
4,457
12,046
9,726
4,961
6,524
4,043
11,605
8,849
Difference (thousands)
9,650
3,481
8,718
7,933
4,220
3,679
2,396
5,307
8,033
Source: McKinsey and Company, 2017

32. • Earned Media: Develop a more
coordinated media pitch and
familiarization tour strategy that is better
segmented by region, industry-type and
season
• Improve Website: Increase web traffic
and decrease bounce rate by developing
more timely, concrete and actionable web
content
• Social Media: Create a more efficient
social media strategy that amplifies
effects of paid media and translates into
consumer action
WE MUST IMPLEMENT A STRONG PUBLIC
RELATIONS STRATEGY

33. Issue 2
Fragmented Messaging

34. West Virginia struggles with mixed messaging. There comes a
point at which individual brands, voices and messages—no
matter how strong or sophisticated—muffle the conversation and
ultimately hinder the success of the product as a whole—West
Virginia.
It's time to speak with one voice.

35. • Messages from Tourism Office and other
state agencies are mixed, disjointed and
confusing for consumers.
• Tourism businesses are necessarily
focused on promoting individual
attractions, but with without coordination
from the top, we dilute our messages
and promote unclear destinations.
• While we all have our unique identities,
goals and objectives, our messages are
overlapping in the media market and
drowning each other out.
WE’RE COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER

36. WE HAVE TO UNIFY
OUR MESSAGE

37. The program will provide destination marketing organizations,
government partners, and tourism-related businesses, attractions
and events with the opportunity to buy in to the state’s unified
advertising campaign and receive a match of state funds.
WE’LL COORDINATE THROUGH A COOPERATIVE
ADVERTISING PROGRAM

38. HOW COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING WORKS

39. • Designed to increase brand awareness for the state and
participating partners
• Will offer a mix of regional and local advertising opportunities on
a variety of investment tiers
• Provides innovative advertising opportunities previously
unavailable to a single entity
• Rooted in results and will provide partners with the appropriate
data, research and tracking throughout each dedicated
advertising campaign
HOW COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING WORKS

40. OUR MESSAGING WORKS IN UNITY

41. Issue 3
Industry Development

42. In years past, the Tourism Office has lacked the authority
necessary to focus on business recruitment and development.
Thanks to the Tourism Act of 2017, we now have this much-
needed capability to work directly with the West Virginia
Development Office to attract and recruit new tourism assets as
we leverage our in-house resources to help our current industry
partners grow and thrive.
It's time to turn the tides and position
ourselves for
long-term growth.

43. GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN STAGNANT
We've not seen the
economic growth that our
neighboring states have in
recent years.
Statewide Tourism Employment

44. While the Development Office is at the forefront of the state’s
business recruitment efforts, the Tourism Office will support and
facilitate efforts.
WE WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OTHER
AGENCIES TO ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES

45. • Expand partner programs to offer increased support to industry
• Work to recruit national events
• Renewed focus on group sales
• Administer Film Industry Development Tax Credit for filmmakers
bringing film industry projects
• Offer monthly industry trainings
WE WILL LEVERAGE OUR RESOURCES TO SUPPORT
EXISTING BUSINESSES

46. • Photography assistance
• Featured placement on website through business listings
• Social media promotion
• Story pitches to travel writers and journalists
• Blog posts featured on website and on social media
AND OFFER DAY-TO-DAY PARTNER ASSISTANCE

47. Issue 4
Customer Service Experience

48. As a likely “first touch” for many passing through our state
borders or calling 1-800-CALLWVA, the Customer Service
department and Welcome Centers have a responsibility of
making a good first impression. Unfortunately, budgets haven't
allowed for these services to be revamped in recent years.
We've got great folks, and it's time to give them the
tools they need to make that important first
impression.

49. The volume of calls to our call center has been in decline for a
decade. There’s still a critical need to provide travel information to
the public, but that work is shifting to the internet. We can respond
by:
• Allocating call center staff’s downtime to keep the business and
event listings up to date on our website.
• Investigating digital methods of providing live customer service
• Establishing follow-up plan for callers who have requested travel
information to keep West Virginia top of mind and complete the
planning cycle.
TELEMARKETING CENTER

50. The Tourism Office operates eight Welcome Centers, where we
can improve our customer service by:
• Add advertising opportunities to drive traffic to regional
destinations
• Update environmental marketing to make centers look and feel
more modern and inspire return visits
• Increase training opportunities for staff on best practices for
hospitality, sales and bookings
• Improve fulfilment and distribution methods
WELCOME CENTERS

51. Issue 5
Tourism Funding & Resources

52. Tourism advertising is proven to increase tourism revenue. When
states invest in tourism advertising, tourism revenue increases
dramatically. When they cut advertising, revenue drops.
We’re a small state, but that doesn’t mean we get a handicap in
the marketplace. We have to work just as hard as larger states
for market share.
We can do better. But the key is additional
advertising investment.

53. We have to make sure we’re putting every dollar to work in the
most efficient way possible.
• Evaluate organizational structure
• Implement spending controls
• Evaluate equipment needs, i.e. mobile devices, computers,
printers
• Cut overhead costs by eliminating unused or unneeded
resources
• Update internal policies to comply with state policies
WE WILL OPTIMIZE OUR OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

54. • We currently spend about $6
million a year on advertising.
• With the changes to our strategy
outlined above, we can make a
modest footprint in a few key
regional markets.
• An additional $15 million would
allow us to put West Virginia on a
national stage in the same way
Michigan has been able to
achieve with their industry-
leading Pure Michigan campaign.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS NEEDED

56. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and this isn’t going to
happen overnight. But we have momentum from the governor
and legislature, and we have a beautiful place to promote. With
the right strategy in place, we can increase the economic impact
of tourism in West Virginia for the benefit of all its citizens.
LET’S GET TO WORK

58. Dave Arnold
Bill Bright
Tim Bucklew
Frank DeBerry
Kara Dense
Steve Hilliard
Ramona Jackson
John Klemish
Matt Knott
Joseph Manchin IV
Ron Marcus
Chris Richards
Tom Smith
Woody Thrasher
Chair
Jeffrey Lusk
WEST VIRGINIA TOURISM COMMISSION