CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the GoToWV team want tourists to know West Virginia is a great place to visit, but they wanted to showcase that through the eyes of West Virginia travelers by gathering real stories and real life experiences from people living in or just passing through the Mountain State.
Those stories will be part of Wild, Wonderful West Virginia’s new advertising campaign, scheduled to launch Saturday, the state’s 152nd birthday.
Welcome centers will also host events with “Real. West Virginia” flair, featuring food, giveaways, live music, reenactments, kids’ activities and more.
“What we really want them to know is there’s lots of things to see and do and that families will absolutely love it here,” said Amy Shuler Goodwin, director of tourism, on Friday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
The group took a “deep dive” into West Virginia’s image recently, Goodwin said, interviewing residents to learn what people want to see and do when they visit West Virginia.
“What we heard back is folks want ‘real.’ They want real food, real outdoor adventure, real shopping, real dining,” Goodwin said.
The group gathered different content, video, images and interviews of people like artists, mountain climbers, bikers, farmers and more to share their stories, so people can know of all there is to experience throughout the state.
“You’ve got to have something to see and do,” said Goodwin. “If you and I are going white water rafting, I got to let you know where we’re going to have supper, where we’re going to get a great craft beer, where the kids can go swimming or canoeing.”
Goodwin said the group looked into what has worked in the past and what they need to improve to start targeting the statewide campaign. She said they hope to bring the campaign to a national level, with parts launching internationally of what they know creates a robust economy.
The GoToWV team is asking travelers and West Virginians to create and submit a Pinterest board showcasing their dream vacation in West Virginia as part of the “My West Virginia Dream Vacation” Pinterest contest. Two prizes will be given away, including a “River Fun Package” provided by River Riders and a “Resort Fun Package” provided by Oglebay Resort.
The contest begins Saturday and ends July 4. To enter visit, www.gotowv.com/pinterest.