Business View Civil and Municipal | June 2022

7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 ARC FEDERAL CO-CHAIR MANCHIN, GOVERNORS, AND TOURISM EXPERTS H INVESTMENTS IN TOURISM & CULTURE IN APPALACHIAN NORTH CAROLINA, ANDWEST VIRGINIA Building on its $12.3 million investment in 23 tourism and culture projects in FY21, ARC awards additional funding for a high-impact, multi-state outdoor tourism planning project T he Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently held the second in a series of five virtual events (titled the Appalachia Envisioned Roadshow) to showcase how ARC’s strategic investment priorities are coming to life in all 13 Appalachian states. The event featured engaging discussions with Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia, and tourism professionals and community leaders from North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia about their successes in leveraging tourism and culture to fuel economic growth. Immediately following the event, ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin also announced a new $250,000 grant to the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) for the Planning For Outdoor Recreation Industry, Vibrant Economies, & Regional Strategy (RIVERS) project, which will create a roadmap for bolstering the growing outdoor industry sector in Appalachian communities across Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The travel and tourism industry in Appalachia is among the region’s fastest- growing employment sectors, generating more than $4.5 billion in local tax revenue and OPENING L INES