CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — There’s good news for the tourism industry in Jefferson County.
Annette Gavin, the Jefferson County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director said Jefferson County destinations had a record year in 2015.
Businesses like the Bavarian Inn and River Riders saw profits climb, and the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park had a 10% increase in visitors.
“Never have they ever seen and increase like that,” Gavin said.
Gavin said Harpers Ferry got some national media attention last year, including coverage of the devastating fire in July.
Still, she thinks the real momentum has been created by working with businesses and state and local governments.
“It’s this partnership that we’ve created throughout the county,” she said. “We’re all kind of just pulling together and going forward.”
Gavin credits marketing with much of the success.
The Jefferson County CVB spends around 50% of its annual budget on marketing and advertising.
“We put 100,000 of our vacation guides and inserts in the Washington Post this year,” Gavin said.
They plan to do that again this year, along with other forms of traditional and electronic advertising.
Gavin looks at last year’s numbers as evidence that the increased marketing is really starting to pay off for the county.