Lodging receipts up $10K in 2023
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Belmont County is on the map for tourist destinations, and tourism Director Jackee Pugh reported a busy fall season when she updated the board of commissioners Wednesday.
"It has been non-stop at Belmont County," she said, adding September brought old favorites including the Belmont County Fair and the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival, as well as the launch of the county's newest themed geotour outdoor scavenger hunt using GPS-enabled devices to locate hidden items.
"We were so excited about how the event went this year. Previously we have had two other geotours. This year we added a fun theme: it is the Belmont County Bigfoot Geotour," Pugh said, noting the launch included 200 people from seven different states and 69 cities, villages or townships.
"Of those 69, only eight were from Belmont County," she said, adding that visitors included participants in past geotours. "Adding the Bigfoot theme put another spin on it."
She expects even more participation during spring and summer.
"It's really bringing people to Belmont County that probably wouldn't be here otherwise," she said.
Pugh said the holiday season has also been popular, with the Belmont County Heritage Museum hosting multiple events in October, kicking off the Halloween season.
"We saw over 200 visitors for that month alone. We added lighted lantern tours that took you through downtown St. Clairsville and talked about ghost stories and folklore," she said.
The Ohio Travel Association has also recognized Belmont County Tourism for its marketing efforts.
"I was really proud of the work that we're doing and the fact that it's being showcased at that level," she said.
Christmas-themed events have also been going on at sites including the Victorian Mansion Museum in Barnesville, St. Clairsville Light Up Night, and Christmas in the 'Ville in Barnesville. These activities also increase customer traffic at local businesses.
"Events have been happening all over the county," she said. "They do some phenomenal things, really bringing tourists into the county."
Pugh commended community partners for working together and contributing to these festivals to promote Belmont County in different ways.
Another piece of good news was the amount of lodging tax receipts gathered so far. Pugh said as of third quarter of 2023, the Tourism Office has collected $385,725 compared to the $375,205 collected by third quarter last year, and $266,985 collected by third quarter of 2021.
"We are up $10,000 over last year. We are on par to surpass 2022 figures and break $500,000 in collections by the end of this year," Pugh said, adding that collections from two hotels may come in late. "We expect that number to grow, but we don't know forecast-wise if those funds will come this year or next year."
Pugh said there are several factors contributing to the rise.
"As we get farther away from COVID, more people are comfortable traveling again, yet they're still looking for small-town destinations, so Belmont County is really positioned well to be a tourist attraction for people looking to escape the big city, come to unwind and relax, and I think the lodging tax numbers are reflecting that.
Commissioner J.P. Dutton said tourism is a valuable resource to bring people from far afield and has allowed the tourism council to provide financial assistance for events.
"Tourism is really part of economic development," he said. "All those hotel stays really add up, and it allows those funds to go into tourism to go into events like the fair or the Pumpkin Festival."
Belmont County Fair Board member David Jones also thanked the tourism office for its help and promotion.
The tourism council website is visitbelmontcounty.com.