By Stephen Smoot
Tourism serves as a vital part of the Potomac Highlands regional economy. Part of the challenge for the area’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus lies in creating innovative ways to bring more visitors – and their spending money – to the area.
Michele Moure-Reeves, executive director of Hardy County’s CVB, sees maps marketed to groups as an excellent way to make visiting and enjoying the area easier and more interesting for groups with common interests.
And her colleagues in Pendleton, Grant, Hampshire, and Mineral agree.
Coming out soon this spring will be a map geared to motorcyclists. Encouraged by motorcyclist websites and publications, over the past several years increasing numbers motor to West Virginia to enjoy.
“When they come to ride,” Moure-Reeves explains, “they need a place to stay, they need a place to eat, they need a place to gas up their motorcycle.” Providing a guide to help motorcycling visitors to find what they need and also what they want in the region brings beneficial boosts for business.
Mapping for motorcyclists in the area is not a new idea. Moure-Reeves shared that the first came out just over a decade ago. An update came in 2018.
Road Runner, a motorcycle travel site, referred to the Potomac Highlands in 2019 as “the High Five.” Moure-Reeves stated that the organization “worked out routes for us” and also did “the layout and printing.”
The same site stated that the Potomac Highlands “is a treasure for motorcyclists, with mountains, vistas, and curves galore.” The article specifically singled out the four counties that worked together on the map, Hardy, Grant, Pendleton, and Hampshire.
It also said “US 220 is a fan favorite” due to curves and the ability of less traveled rural routes to give riders a leisurely break from the fast paced highway. The article additionally recommended Smoke Hole Road as “a hidden gem.”
Moure-Reeves stated that the new map will offer updated and added points of interest compared to previous editions. Two new routes have been added to the old slate for a total of seven, which range from the shortest of 125 miles to the longest, a 250 mile stretch.
Because the CVBs this year decided to not charge a fee to list a business or other point of interest, Moure-Reeves stated “it’s a pretty big list” that includes restaurants, places to shop, historical sites, and much more.
Cartography for tourism will not stop with motorcyclists. The next five county map is already in the works. Civil War Trails has agreed to help the Potomac Highlands tourism promotion organizations create routes that will bring visitors to “places where battles were fought,” other related to the conflict such as fortifications, as well as other local attractions.
It will also help visitors to learn about why certain towns changed hands so many times and the fascinating tales that have come down over the years.
Moure-Reeves stated that collaboration has served as the key to regional success. She explained that most of the CVBs have single person staffs. Those staffs are supported by boards full of individuals generally busy with their own businesses or other responsibilities. When the directors come together and collaborate, the results often exceed the sum of the parts.
She expects that the motorcycle map will be ready in May and that for the Civil War in late summer.
