Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) in West Virginia are local or regional tourism promotion organizations that market destinations, encourage travel, and support tourism-driven economic development. They are typically organized as nonprofit corporations and funded primarily by hotel occupancy taxes collected by counties and municipalities. CVBs promote lodging, restaurants, outdoor recreation, festivals, heritage attractions, conferences, and sporting events, and they serve as official destination marketing organizations for their communities.
History and Legal Foundation
West Virginia’s convention and visitors bureaus emerged largely after the adoption of the state’s Hotel Occupancy Tax law in 1985. Under West Virginia Code §7-18-1, counties and municipalities were granted authority to impose a tax on hotel room occupancy within their jurisdictions. The legislation enabled local governments to dedicate a portion of those revenues toward tourism promotion and convention development. The law stated that counties and municipalities could “impose and collect a privilege tax upon the occupancy of hotel rooms located within its taxing jurisdiction.” West Virginia Code §7-18-1.
The hotel occupancy tax initially permitted local rates of up to three percent, though later amendments allowed some jurisdictions to levy rates as high as six percent. The growth of these taxes helped establish convention and visitors bureaus across the state during the late twentieth century. According to reporting in The Pocahontas Times, the legislation resulted in the creation of local tourism bureaus funded directly through hotel occupancy taxes. The Pocahontas Times article on hotel occupancy taxes
The governing framework for these taxes is contained in Article 18, Chapter 7 of the West Virginia Code, titled “Hotel Occupancy Tax.” The law establishes the authority to levy the tax, defines taxable lodging, and outlines how revenues may be spent. West Virginia Code Article 18, Hotel Occupancy Tax.
Funding
Most West Virginia convention and visitors bureaus are funded by local hotel occupancy taxes paid by guests staying in hotels, motels, inns, cabins, and other short-term lodging facilities. Lodging operators collect the taxes and remit them to county or municipal governments, which then distribute a portion of the revenue to tourism promotion agencies.
State law requires that at least 50 percent of the net revenue collected from hotel occupancy taxes be used “for the promotion of conventions and tourism” (West Virginia Code §7-18-14). In practice, many counties and municipalities direct much of that funding to convention and visitors bureaus, which use the money for advertising, visitor services, marketing campaigns, tourism publications, digital media, and event promotion.
Some CVBs also receive funding from memberships, sponsorships, grants, event partnerships, and cooperative advertising agreements with private businesses. However, hotel occupancy taxes remain the principal source of operating revenue for most organizations.
In 2021, the West Virginia Legislature temporarily restricted the creation of new convention and visitors bureaus that would receive hotel occupancy tax revenues, placing a moratorium on the appropriation of such funds to newly created bureaus for a limited period (West Virginia Code §7-18-13A).
Organization and Administration
Convention and visitors bureaus in West Virginia are typically nonprofit corporations governed by boards of directors representing local tourism interests, businesses, governments, and community organizations. Some are organized at the county level, while others serve municipalities or multi-county tourism regions.
Many bureaus are members of the West Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, a statewide trade organization representing local destination marketing agencies. State law also requires CVBs that receive hotel occupancy tax appropriations to provide annual financial reports to local governments and state agencies. These are the West Virginia Code reporting requirements for CVBs.
Functions and Activities
West Virginia convention and visitors bureaus promote tourism destinations through advertising campaigns, websites, travel guides, social media marketing, and public relations. Their mission is to increase visitation, encourage overnight stays, and stimulate local economies through tourism spending.
CVBs commonly provide visitor information centers, maps, lodging directories, event calendars, and travel itineraries. Many work closely with state parks, outdoor recreation outfitters, historic sites, restaurants, and local festivals to coordinate tourism promotion.
Convention and visitors bureaus also recruit conferences, sporting tournaments, group tours, and special events. In larger communities, bureaus may assist convention centers and hotels in securing meetings and business travel. In rural areas, tourism promotion often focuses on outdoor recreation, heritage tourism, scenic driving, and festivals.
Tourism promotion has become increasingly important to the state economy since the decline of traditional extractive industries such as coal mining and timbering. Local tourism agencies market destinations associated with whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, fishing, rail trails, heritage tourism, and Appalachian culture.
Economic Impact
Convention and visitors bureaus are widely regarded by local governments as economic development agencies because tourism spending supports hotels, restaurants, retail businesses, attractions, and recreation providers. Hotel occupancy tax revenues are closely tied to visitation levels and lodging demand.
Many counties use CVBs to coordinate destination branding and regional tourism strategies. Promotional campaigns frequently highlight West Virginia’s mountain scenery, outdoor recreation opportunities, historic communities, and cultural traditions.
Because hotel occupancy taxes are largely paid by visitors rather than residents, supporters argue that tourism promotion can be financed primarily through nonresident spending. Critics, however, have occasionally debated the appropriate use of hotel occupancy tax revenues and the accountability of tourism bureaus receiving public funds.
BRAXTON COUNTY
250 Skidmore Lane
Sutton, WV 26601
Phone: 304-765-6533
www.braxtonwv.org
CABELL-HUNTINGTON
P.O. Box 347
Huntington, WV 25708
Phone: 304-525-7333
Fax: 304-525-7345
Toll-free: 800-635-6329
www.wvvisit.org
CHARLESTON
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-209-7015
FAYETTEVILLE
P.O. Box 35
Fayetteville, WV 25840
Phone: 304-574-1500
Toll-free: 888-574-1500
www.visitfayettevillewv.com
GILBERT
P.O. Box 700
Gilbert, WV 25621
Phone: 304-664-3477
Fax: 304-664-3752
www.visitgilbertwv.com
GRANT COUNTY
126 South Main Street
Petersburg, WV 26847
Office: 304-257-9266
www.visitgrantcounty.com
GREATER BRIDGEPORT
164 West Main St
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Phone: 304-848-7200 x 620
Fax: 304-842-8203
Toll-free: 800-368-4324
www.greater-bridgeport.com
www.connect-bridgeport.com
GREATER CLARKSBURG
208 Court Street
Clarksburg, WV 26301
Phone: 304-810-4435
Fax: 304-845-2773
Toll-free: 877-622-2157
comehometoclarksburg.com
GREATER MORGANTOWN
341 Chaplin Road.
Morgantown, WV 26501
Phone: 304-292-5081
Fax: 304-291-1354
Toll-free: 800-458-7373
www.tourmorgantown.com
GREATER MOUNDSVILLE
609 Jefferson Avenue
Moundsville, WV 26041
Phone: 304-810-4435
Fax: 304-845-2773
www.marshallcountytourism.com
GREATER PARKERSBURG
350 7th St
Parkersburg, WV 26101
Phone: 304-428-1130
Fax: 304-428-8117
Toll-free: 800-752-4982
www.greaterparkersburg.com
GREENBRIER COUNTY
200 W. Washington St.
P.O. Box 1107
Lewisburg, WV 24901
Phone: 304-645-1000
Fax: 304-647-3001
Toll-free: 800-833-2068
www.greenbrierwv.com
HARDY COUNTY CVB
104 S. Main Street, Suite 2A
Moorefield, WV 26836
Phone: 304-897-8700
www.visithardy.com
HATFIELD/MCCOY
P.O. Box 218
Logan, WV 25601
Phone: 304-752-6020
Fax: 304-752-5988
www.hatfieldmccoycvb.com
JEFFERSON COUNTY
37 Washington Court
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Phone: 304-535-2627
Fax: 304-535-2131
Toll-free: 866- Hello-WV
www.discoveritallwv.com
LEWIS COUNTY
499 US HWY 33 E
Suite 2
Weston, WV 26452
Phone: 304-269-7328
Fax: 304-269-3271
Toll-free: 800-296-7329
www.stonewallcountry.com
MARION COUNTY
1000 Cole Street, Suite A
Pleasant Valley, WV 26554
Phone: 304-368-1123
Fax: 304.333.0155
Toll-free: 800-834-7365
www.marioncvb.com
MARTINSBURG-BERKELEY COUNTY
126 E. Race Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: 304-264-8801
Fax: 304-264-8802
www.travelwv.com
MERCER COUNTY
P.O. BOX 4088
Bluefield, WV 24701
Phone: 304-325-8438
Fax: 304-324-8483
Toll free: 800-221-3206
www.visitmercercounty.com
MORGAN COUNTY
NEW RIVER GORGE
310 Oyler Ave
Oak Hill, WV 25901
Phone: 304-465-5617
Fax: 304-465-5618
Toll free: 800-927-0263
www.newrivergorgecvb.com
NITRO
P.O. BOX 395
Nitro, WV 25143
Phone: 304-721-9800
Fax: 304-721-9801
www.nitrocvb.com
PENDLETON COUNTY
P.O. Box 737
Franklin, WV 26807
Phone: 304-358-3884
Fax: 304-358-3884
Email: pendletoncoc@frontier.net
PLEASANTS COUNTY
309 2nd.St.
Saint Marys, WV 26170
Phone: 304-684-99091
POCAHONTAS COUNTY
P.O. Box 275, 301 8th Street
Marlinton, WV 24954
Phone: 304-799-4636
Fax: 304-799-4649
Toll-free: 800-336-7009
www.pocahontascountywv.com
PUTNAM COUNTY
3744 Teays Valley Road
Suite 209
Hurricane, WV 25526
Phone: 304-757-7282
Fax: 304-757-0728
www.putnamcountycvb.com
RANSON
312 S. Mildred St.
Ranson, WV 25438
Phone: 304-724-3862
www.ransonwv.us
SUMMERSVILLE
P.O. Box 1026
3 Armory Way
Summersville, WV 26651
Phone: 304-872-3722
Fax: 304-872-0506
www.summersvillecvb.com
TOP-OF-WV
3393 Main Street
Weirton, WV 26062
Phone: 304-797-7001
Fax: 304-797-7009
Toll-free: 877-723-7114
www.topofwv.com
TUCKER COUNTY
410 William Ave. & Fourth St.
Davis, WV 26260
Phone: 304-259-5315
Fax: 304-259-4210
Toll-free: 800-782-2775
www.canaanvalley.org
UPSHUR COUNTY
P. O. Box 817, 16 S. Kanawha Street
Buckhannon, WV 26201
Phone: 304-473-1400
Fax: 304-473-1401
www.VisitUpshur.org
VILLAGE OF BARBOURSVILLE
701 Main Street
Barboursville, WV 25504
Phone: 304-733-1500
Fax: 304-473-1401
www.discoverbarboursville.com
SOUTHERN W.Va.
1406 Harper Road
Beckley, WV 25801
Phone: 304-252-2244
Fax: 304-252-2252
Toll-free: 800-847-4898
www.visitwv.com
WHEELING
1401 Main St.
Wheeling, WV 26003
Phone: 304-233-7709
Fax: 304-233-1470
Toll-free: 800-828-3097
www.wheelingcvb.com