Belmont County tourism sees ‘momentum’ with record events, economic impact
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- As we reach the halfway point of summer, Belmont County Tourism Council Executive Director Jackee Pugh provided the Belmont County Board of Commissioners with a tourism report.
Pugh said that as she prepared her report, there was one word that kept coming to her mind: momentum.
"This summer has been filled with some incredible momentum, not just within the tourism office but all across the county," Pugh said. "When people hear about tourism, they often picture a visitor’s guide, a social media campaign, a festival or event that they’ve attended, and those certainly are things that are part of our job, it’s so much more than that. We bring people together in a compounding effect that really impacts the effort and work happening throughout the county. Every event that we promote, every partnership that we’re building, every grant that we award, every visitor that we welcome in every historic site adds to another piece of something much larger that we’re building. Tourism isn’t simply marketing; it’s economic development and it’s community development and it’s relationship building."
She added that tourism matters because it creates a significant economic impact for the county.
Pugh said Ohio generated nearly $58 billion in tourism-related economic activity in 2025.
"Here in Belmont County, we generated $275.6 million. That’s a pretty big impact on economic development, much more than just a fair and a festival. It’s actually a 12 percent increase over our report in 2019. So from 2019 to 2025, we have a 12 percent increase. It’s $168 million in direct visitor spending. It’s more than $36 million in tax revenue that’s generated right here in the county," Pugh said. "My favorite part of that is that tourism provides $667 dollars in tax burden relief per Belmont County household -- that’s almost $700 in taxes that they don’t have to pay because of the income that we’re generating through tourism."
She added that the tourism council is much more than promoting events on social media. She believes the department is making an impact in the community and that the revenue supports that belief.
Pugh said that since Memorial Day, her department has promoted dozens of festivals, concerts, fireworks displays, museum activities, community celebrations and special events.
She said that because this year marks America 250 and Belmont County's 225th anniversary, there have been more events throughout the county that are larger than in most years.
Pugh added that America 250 events were structured to span the entire summer instead of being concentrated around Memorial Day and the Fourth of July to continue building momentum.
"It’s about building things that are lasting and having a much bigger impact," Pugh said. "It’s more than just an Independence Day celebration, more than a parade, more than fireworks. It’s an opportunity for every one of our communities to tell the story of what built Belmont County and America."
She added that on Memorial Day the county welcomed nearly 400 motorcyclists who parked along Main Street in St. Clairsville for its annual ceremony.
Run for the Wall is a motorcycle group with the mission of traveling from Ontario, California, to Washington, D.C., before continuing to Marseilles, Illinois.
"One of my highlights was a rider came up to me after the program ended, before they got on their bike, and said, 'You’ve made coming to Belmont County a true homecoming,' and that really struck me because it’s not just a compliment about the event; it’s a reflection on how our community rallies together, knows how to show up and welcome people and make them feel like they’re coming home, and that’s what we do here in Belmont County," Pugh said. "How great a compliment is that to receive."
She added that two historic events she is looking forward to are "The Wall That Heals" coming to the Belmont County Fairgrounds Oct. 1-4 and the Belmont County Underground Railroad Museum moving from Flushing into the historic Black Horse Inn in Morristown this fall.
The Underground Railroad Museum received $3.9 million from Gov. Mike DeWine's Appalachian Community Grant Program in 2024. The program is part of a $154 million investment in Appalachian downtowns and destinations. One requirement of the grant is that the project be completed by October.
The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile education center, will come to the Belmont County Fairgrounds Oct. 1-4, 2026. The display will be open 24 hours a day and free to the public.
It honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.