CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The first secretary of tourism in West Virginia sees plenty
of potential for travel growth during the coming months in the Mountain
State.
“When we look to post-COVID travel trends, we see that people want
to take road trips, they want to visit small towns and they want to get outdoors
and explore nature. All of those things can be found here in West Virginia,”
said Secretary Chelsea Ruby.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jim Justice signed
into law legislation that reorganized and redesignated the existing state
offices for both tourism and development as the state Department of Tourism and,
separately, the state Department of Development.
“This is going to bring
so much goodness and opportunity to our state it’s unbelievable,” Gov. Justice
said at that time.
Former Senate President Mitch Carmichael was appointed
to serve as the first development secretary.
Ruby was named tourism
secretary after serving as tourism commissioner since Jan. 2017.
Of the
change, “It sends a message to the nation and to the world that tourism is of
upmost importance here in West Virginia. It’s an industry we believe in. It’s an
industry we see a lot of growth in,” said Ruby.
“We are one of several
states in the country now that has said tourism is a top priority.”
Prior
to her move to tourism, Ruby was the director of marketing and communications
for the state Department of Commerce and served as executive director of West
Virginia’s 150th birthday celebration in 2013.