National Geographic Travel’s Facebook live stream from the catwalk beneath the New River Gorge Bridge is now the organization’s No. 1 performing Facebook live of all time, with more than 355,000 views to date.
“We were thrilled to host National Geographic on West Virginia Day, and the partnership project proved to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase what West Virginia has to offer to travelers both across the country and around the world,” said West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby. “The overwhelmingly positive response to the video shows that people are undoubtedly drawn to our state’s natural beauty and want to learn more about all of the amazing things to see and do here.”
The Bridge Walk live stream beat out top videos, including an interview with former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and live helicopter tour of Sydney, Australia.
Bridge Walk offers public tours of the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville from the catwalk under the bridge deck. The experience gives visitors dramatic views of the New River Gorge, a National Park Service river and recreation area, along with an adrenaline rush. The New River Gorge Bridge is the largest single-span arch bridge in the United States and the third-largest in the world.
The Bridge Walk live stream, a partnership between the Division of Tourism and National Geographic Travel, aired on Facebook June 20 in celebration of West Virginia Day as part of the Division’s #AlmostHeaven viral social media campaign. During the campaign, all those who love West Virginia were encouraged to share photos on social media using #AlmostHeaven. In just two weeks, the campaign reached an audience of more than 15 million, with over 415,000 directly engaging in the effort.
“West Virginia is a world-class, four-season travel and tourism destination, and the goal of #AlmostHeaven was to showcase our amazing product to folks across the country and around the world. The National Geographic promotion helped us extend our reach to a global audience, and I couldn’t think of a better way to cap off our viral campaign.”
As a follow-up to the promotion, National Geographic also released an article, “The Ultimate West Virginia Road Trip,” that features must-see stops across West Virginia. To view the Bridge Walk video, click here.
