BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Travelers from all around are visiting West Virginia this Labor Day Weekend.
Each Labor Day Weekend sees millions of Americans from around the country travel out of their home state. And West Virginia commonly sees a huge tourism boom on these three day holiday weekends.
This year has been a struggle for the tourism industry, but many people are still heading to the Mountain State to see what it has to offer. For instance, one tourist from Ohio came here with her family to ride the trails.
“We just came back from Hatfield McCoy, riding for the weekend. It’s beautiful here, absolutely gorgeous. Love the mountains, love everything about it.”
Other people are just passing through, and some are taking advantage of the outdoor recreation available here to vacation in a safe manner, away from any major hot-spots. Another traveler from North Carolina is simply here to visit her mother who’s been isolating at home for months.
“I went to pick up my mom who has been in the house since the pandemic struck. And I just thought that I would utilize this long weekend to bring her down to my house where the two of us could just sit and enjoy the weekend together.”
Last year the West Virginia tourism industry outpaced the national standard by 58%, and it’s likely that growth won’t be as high this year due to the pandemic. However, many people are still visiting the state year-round, and some travelers are just happy to get back some feeling of normalcy.
“It feels really good. I feel that it’s very important that even though it’s not normal, that we could start moving a little bit towards that way. So it’s a good feeling.”
It’s estimated that more than 30 million Americans have traveled during this holiday weekend.
