The tourism economy in South West Virginia

Southwest Virginia turned an unused railroad right of way into a critical part of a regional tourism powerhouse. Jacob Stump, a native of the region, begins a series on how those changes have affected the economy and culture of this Central Appalachian area. The Virginia Tourism Corporation’s 2014 Economic Impact Report showed that Southwest Virginia generated nearly $971 million in tourism expenditures.  And, Friends of Southwest Virginia published a 2016 report that showed a 56 percent increase over a decade in tourism expenditures.  These numbers are expected to grow in the coming years.