2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Mission

The Mercer County CVB creates economic growth promoting the county as a destination.

Tourism is a tremendous economic driver in Mercer County!

Dear tourism stakeholders and supporters,
It is my honor to present to you the 2023 Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual report. It has been a year of exciting new changes— an office in Princeton, appearances by the mobile visitor center, and a huge return on investment with our public relations team.

Working with Pineapple Public Relations, the Visit Mercer County team was able to work together to gain national and regional media coverage about the destination. Together, they helped place 78 stories for an editorial value of more than $6 million. Six writers visited the area, each focusing on an unique aspect of Mercer County and its towns and cities.

Leaning on the success of 2022, the Mercer County CVB continued to push outdoor recreation. However, it takes many different facets of tourism to complete a destination. The arts, dining, shopping and events all support “Uniquely Appalachia.” We are proud to share those stories with our audience. This year, we focused on the arts, with a series of videos focusing on artists in the area.

VIsit Mercer County also recognizes the importance of community. In 2023, the CVB introduced Appalachian Ambassadors, a local program that turns locals into infl uencers. These individuals help create awareness of dining, shopping, and outdoor activities to others in the area. The program was featured at the 2023 West Virginia Conference on Tourism and won an award at the DIY Tourism Marketing Conference in Asheville, North Carolina.

In 2023, Mercer County accounted for $186.12 million in visitor spending and supporting 1,932 tourism related jobs.

The success of tourism would not be possible without our board of directors, the Mercer County Commission, the cities of Bluefield and Princeton, and the towns of Athens and Bramwell.

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Visit Our About Page

Visit our about page to view upcoming meeting dates, annual reports and other partner resources.

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200+ Partners

Working to create a positive economic impact by increasing tourism spending in Mercer County.

216,123

hotel rooms the Mercer County CVB helped sell in 2023

10,000+

(estimate) room nights sold along the ATV Trails in Mercer County

$51,960

investment by Mercer County CVB in Department of Tourism’s co-op advertising program

$514,711

spent in advertising and marketing

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Top States Visiting the Website

1. Virginia
2. Pennsylvania
3. West Virginia
4. Ohio
5. New York
6. Others (North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida, California)

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Hotel Occupancy Rate

Data from Smith Travel Research

Increase of 2.6%

2020	2021	2022	2023
41.3%	60.2%	61.1%	63.5%

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Digital Data

Social Media Data

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WV Tourism Cooperative Advertising

Visit Mercer County invested $51,960 in Cooperative Advertising with WV Tourism resulting in:

Results

• 19,851,297 Impressions
• 68,263 Clicks

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Earned Media Success

Notable Coverage Highlights:

Southern Living, The Columbus Dispatch, Microsoft Start, USA Today Travel, WV Living, and Okra.

Totals:

78

Stories

$6,282,620

Total Editorial Value

$70,000

CVB Investment

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Digital Campaigns

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Four Major Achievements in 2023

1. Visit Mercer County took home a “Stars of the Industry” award for Best Digital Media at the 2023 West Virginia Department of Tourism Annual Conference.
2. Executive Director Jamie Null was appointed to the West Virginia Recreational Trail Advisory Board by Governor Jim Justice.
3. During their fi rst year working with Pineapple Public Relations, the CVB had 78 stories placed in national and regional media publications. Those stories resulted in more than $6 million of earned media value.
4. With a commitment to partner relationships, the CVB hired Valerie Hendricks as the community marketing manager. The organization also opened a second location in Princeton to better serve visitors and partners.

Last updated: June 16, 2025