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ELKINS -- Elkins Depot Welcome Center officials offered an informational presentation to the Randolph County Commission during its regular meeting at the James F. Cain Courthouse Annex.
Anne Beardslee, executive director for the Elkins-Randolph County Tourism CVB, and Samantha Peet, ERCT director of marketing, gave Commissioners Chris See, Cris Siler and David Kesling an update on everything happening at the Welcome Center.
"The Elkins Depot Welcome Center opened its doors in 2006 and since transforming into a fully accredited Convention and Visitors Bureau, we have become a highly respected organization both throughout the region and the state," said Beardslee.
"Since 2006, we have served over 559,000 guests at the Welcome Center over the course of 17 years. We had approximately 24,400 visitors in 2023 with more than 46,000 brochures distributed to those individuals."
Beardslee said a lot of work goes into the day-to-day operations of the center and said none of it would be possible without its many volunteers.
"Our volunteers are a vital part of our organization and we couldn't do all the work we do without them," said Beardslee. "Their dedicated work at the center allows us to be able do our jobs. In 2023 we had a total of 1,742 volunteer hours from all of our volunteers."
Peet then talked about how the Welcome Center's digital footprint expanded in 2023 and what the Center has planned for 2024.
"More of our audiences searched for vacation ideas online, utilizing a variety of channels including social media, email marketing, and a variety of digital advertising placements," Peet said. "Our combined social media platforms saw increases in followers and in profile visits. We have over 25,000 followers across our social platforms and we've expanded our platforms to include Tiktok and Threads, capturing a wider audience with our video and photo content."
Peet added that the Welcome Center currently has 12,900 email subscribers that receive a monthly newsletter, and that the organization had more than 700,000 website views in 2023
"Creating and engaging visual content and using a strategic marketing mix allowed us to attract more traffic to our website," she said. "Randolph County seasonally has been part of our strategy and our advertising throughout 2023. Randolph County appeared in major media outlets through partnerships with the West Virginia Deportment of Tourism."
Peet said the Welcome Center is in the process of creating a new video in response to industry research that shows travelers mostly come to West Virginia for outdoor recreation.
"We have a team putting together a video that is going to highlight many of the reasons visitors choose recreation in Randolph County," she said. "The video will be released this spring and will allow us to beautifully capture the assets of Randolph County."
The Welcome Center also has a campaign planned that will feature website enhancement and 10 itineraries highlighted within the area. It will feature things to do, events to attend, and tips for traveling throughout the county.
"Website users will be able to filter through the itineraries depending on their interests, the number of days they want to visit, and more," she said. "Each itinerary will also include a map that visitors can easily download to their phones…We are currently putting the final touches on all this and it will launch alongside the video this spring."
Beardslee said strong relationships built with other organizations, both locally and regionally, are a big part of the Welcome Center's success.
"The relationships that we create in our community are the backbone of our success," said Beardslee. "We work hard to maintain our associations with different organizations. Tourism growth and success depends our relationships with others."
Beardslee said that in 2022, Randolph County saw a 6% increase in tourism income that brought the total income to $79.6 million.
"Every dollar that someone brings into this community and spends, it circulates through this area six times before it leaves," she said. "We work tirelessly each year to increase the tourism economy, and we are glad to see it rise once again last year."
Beardslee ended by thanking the Randolph County Commission for its continued support over the years.
"Because of your continuous financial and moral support, we've been able to operate at a professional level," she said. "Your support has allowed us to accomplish all of the goals that we have talked about here today."
The Elkins Depot Welcome Center will host one of its biggest events of the year when the annual Ramps to Rails Festival takes place on April 27.