SNOWSHOE, WV – This morning, Gov. Jim Justice congratulated hundreds of West Virginia tourism industry professionals on their recent efforts, stimulating additional travel into the state, during a keynote address made as part of this year’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism at Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

“You’re absolutely knocking it out of the park,” Gov. Justice said. “Your approach, through the Almost Heaven campaign, has us on the move in terms of the money that’s being spent on travel to West Virginia.”

Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby praised the Governor for his involvement in the Almost Heaven campaign and his continued support of the tourism industry.

“Governor Justice is the greatest cheerleader for tourism in West Virginia,” Commissioner Ruby said. “He has known, since day one on the job, that travel and tourism in West Virginia has unbelievable potential. Under his direction, we’re turning the industry around and, most importantly, moving it forward.”

“When I walked in the door, tourism in our state was declining,” Gov. Justice said. “I’ve said it over and over; any frog that’s not proud of its own pond isn’t much of a frog. All you needed was a leader of the band that believed in you and was willing to spend money to make money.”

“Here we have a state that abounds in natural beauty beyond all comparison,” Gov. Justice said. “I’ve traveled across the whole country and I can tell you there is no place as good as West Virginia. It’s low-hanging fruit. And now that everybody sees this is the place to come – because of your great work – more and more people are coming.”

The three-day conference provides an opportunity for statewide tourism industry partners to come together to find new and innovative ways to promote West Virginia as a world-class travel and tourism destination. Attendees included more than 250 state Tourism Office officials, local Convention and Visitors Bureau leaders, small business owners, and more.

“Even with all our success, we can still do a lot more to make people see what West Virginia has to offer,” Gov. Justice said. “I’m going to promise you, with all in me, that every button I can push, within the constraints of dollars, I’m going to push it to help you keep moving our state forward.”