BECKLEY W.Va. (WVDN) – New River Gorge National Park and Preserve welcomed 1,811,937 visitors in 2024—a 6.31% increase from 2023.
2024 was a record-breaking year for the National Park Service, welcoming 331.0 million guests over the system’s 443 units. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve’s 6.31% rise outpaced the overall surge in national park site visitation, which was 2%.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve’s record-breaking visitation coincides with the boost in visitor spending. In 2023, the nine counties within Southern West Virginia’s marketing footprint —Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming—brought in $1.2 billion in visitor spending, a dramatic increase from the $881 million in 2019, before the national park’s redesignation. Visitor spending is calculated from money spent at local businesses like retailers, gas stations, hotels and campgrounds, restaurants and recreational outfitters.
Visit Southern West Virginia is working hard to continue attracting visitors to the area and the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve through social media promotions and brochure distribution. The organization’s Facebook account reaches an average of 234,816 accounts weekly, with some posts reaching over a million views across 10 countries. The organization also teams up with influencers to engage audiences worldwide. Visit Southern West Virginia distributes approximately 400,000 brochures and visitor guides annually to direct tourists to local businesses.
The draw of outdoor recreation sites, such as the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, continues to be a strong foundation for Southern West Virginia’s tourism industry and economy.
“Working in the tourism industry for over 30 years, it has been so exciting to watch new visitors discover West Virginia,” said Lisa Strader, executive director. “The New River Gorge has always been an integral part of our destination, but with the park designation, we have seen visitors from further away, staying longer and spending more throughout our region.”
