MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — On Wednesday, the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau delivered its annual report at the Monongalia County Commission meeting where Operations Manager Joe Vessecchia gave a presentation to the commission.

The group said that adding five new full-time team members this year has allowed them to lay the groundwork for new opportunities to develop and market the area more than ever.

Commissioner Jeffrey Arnett said that the group does an incredible job bringing people to the area to help the local economy grow.

“So every person that comes to town is going to eat a restaurant, they’re going to shop at our shops, stay at our hotels, they might rent cars, they might fly into our airport,” Arnett said. “It’s a wonderful organization that promotes tourism and growth in that regard and they do a fantastic job I think.”

The mission statement of the group is to increase the tourism economy in the area by marketing and selling the destination to guests by “wowing” them and encouraging them to stay one more night and spend one more dollar.

Visit Mountaineer Country was also voted “Best Convention and Visitors Bureau” and they also saw President & CEO voted as “Mountaineer Country Community Champion.”

Members of the group said that they are looking forward to 2023 and beyond to continue to grow the destination for more people to visit.