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Visit Mountaineer Country tells Morgantown council the region drew about 4 million visitors last year; bureau highlights new Placer AI data
Summary
Susan Riddle of Visit Mountaineer Country briefed the Morgantown City Council on tourism trends, citing new Placer AI data that ranked Mountaineer Country No. 1 in West Virginia for overnight stays, and highlighted programs such as Leave No Trace education reaching thousands of students.
Susan Riddle, representing Visit Mountaineer Country, presented the bureau’s semiannual tourism update to the Morgantown City Council on April 7, saying the region drew roughly 4,000,000 unique non-repeating visitors and that new Placer AI data ranks Mountaineer Country first in West Virginia for overnight stays.
Riddle said about 30% of the bureau’s traffic consists of day trips, and staff estimate monthly visitor counts around 300,000 on average. She highlighted recent event coordination, including NCAA first- and second-round activity, community cleanups, and partnerships with the airport. Riddle also emphasized stewardship and education programs such as Leave No Trace, which she said now reaches more than 3,000 fifth graders.
“Visitors do not see boundaries,” Riddle told council, arguing regional partnerships and consistent marketing are important to encourage visitors to stay longer and return. She described the bureau’s new data tool, Placer AI, as a “heavy hitter” that provides useful insights on visitation patterns.
Councilors praised the bureau’s work and offered suggestions. One councilor suggested the city consider applying the bureau’s recruitment and visitor strategies to graduation weekends, which also attract significant overnight stays. Councilors and staff discussed volunteer cleanups and the state Department of Highways’ Adopt-a-Highway program as ways to manage litter during high-traffic events.
During the public comment portion, Gail Taylor, a member of the Morgantown Arts and Culture Commission, asked whether the city had plans for the privately owned Warner Theatre and urged officials to consider purchasing or rehabilitating the vacant building so it could serve as a multiuse cultural space. Taylor said the building has been vacant longer than expected and may have asbestos; she encouraged the city to publicize any plans or considerations.
Riddle and council members said they appreciated local partnerships and offered to collaborate on special-event planning; no formal action was taken. The presentation closed with the council inviting further questions and staff offering to follow up on volunteer and event coordination opportunities.
