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October 7, 2022
Dear Valued Tourism Industry Partners,
Wow - What an exciting week in the Virginia hospitality industry! Congratulations to our friends at the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association (VRLTA) for an incredibly successful 2022 Ordinary Awards dinner and ceremony this past Monday night at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa/Short Pump.
Each October, the Ordinary Awards highlight the best of the best in Virginia’s hospitality and tourism industry. This year, Virginia Beach brought home several top honors, including a huge win by our wonderful Partner Engagement and Special Projects Coordinator, Brande Rumpf, who was honored with the Jim Ricketts Award for DMO/CVB Employee Of The Year. Congratulations on this incredible accomplishment, Brande!
Honors taken by our industry partners include:
- PHR’s Chuck Sass, recipient of the President's Award
- Amber Kostka, The Stockpot: Restaurant Manager Of The Year
- Vicente Mosquera, Isle of Capri: Restaurant Employee Of The Year
- Dianna Starkey, Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Hospitality Hero
Congratulations to all the nominees from across the Commonwealth and thank you again to VRLTA for all their hard work on this terrific event! Click here to see the announcement of the awards and a presentation of the individual winners.
More Opportunities for Fun Added To Wicked Weekend - I was excited to hear that we have two new events to add to our already fun-packed “Wicked” activities. It’s all part of “Wicked Weekend” at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, in conjunction with the wildly-popular Old Point National Bank Wicked 10K race and other assorted spooky happenings October 28 - 29. These events give everyone a chance to get in on the Halloween fun!
The official after party of the Wicked 10k, Virginia Beach Boos & Brews, powered by Coastal Virginia Brewery Alliance, takes place on Sat., 10/29, from 11 am to 5 pm at the 24th St. Park. The event will feature a host of local breweries showcasing their fall collections, and guests will enjoy unlimited samplings of 40 beers from 20 local breweries and live music from local bands. Guests will also take home a commemorative sample glass. Buy tickets here.
Also on Sat., 10/29, from 11 am - 4 pm, there will be fun for the entire family at the 17th Street Park. Come celebrate all that’s fun about Fall at this first-ever free, family event Pumpkins & Pirates! Join in as organizers blend two popular themes – pumpkins and pirates – into one unique, family-friendly experience. Your younger scallywags will love this mashup featuring face painters, carnival games, stilt walkers, family relay races, roving jugglers, bandana-making, story-tellers, and our very own pirate DJs! Don’t forget to dress your family up like pirates, take advantage of photo ops, and participate in a costume contest. This is a free event.
“Live the Life” Savings Pass – We're excited to remind our partners to sign up for our year-round, Virginia Beach “Live the Life Savings Pass” designated specifically for meeting, sports, and group tour attendees. Events such as sports competitions, Virginia Fire Chiefs, Rescue Squad, dine–around nights, etc. bring thousands of participants to Virginia Beach each year and this is your opportunity to promote your business directly to the attendees and their families. Interested in signing up? Find out more here: LTL savings pass.pdf
2022 Virginia Tourism Corporation Orientation Program - The 2022 VTC Orientation offers new information, resources, and best industry practices. VTC Orientation is a must for Virginia DMOs, tourism-related business owners, tourism marketers and representatives from Virginia attractions, restaurants, events, retail, and lodging establishments. Receive a brief overview and update from each VTC Division and receive timely ‘Action Items’ to help strategize and plan leveraging VTC resources. Best of all? It’s free! Find out more below but don’t wait long; the next sessions are 10/25-27 and registration closes 10/20/22. Contact VTC’s Judy Watkins for orientation questions: jwatkins@virginia.org | (804) 754-5921
Free Movies & Fun At Town Center - Get ready for an evening of family-friendly fun! Presented on a large recessed outdoor screen in the Town Center Fountain Plaza, “Movies In The Plaza” continues each Saturday night at sunset through October 29. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. Limited free popcorn will be provided. Find the full movie schedule here and hope to see you there!
As always, my team and I remain committed to you and our industry. Please let me know how we can assist.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
Hotel Performance for the Week of Sept. 18 - 24: According to STR, Virginia Beach was within the top 25 performing DMO’s for the week of September 18 – September 24. According to STR, Virginia Beach was within the top 25 performing DMO’s for the week of September 18 – September 24. Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for this week was up 0.2% at 67.8% occupancy and up 1.9% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was slightly down -1.6% to $149.29 for the week but no current change for the running 28-day trend, at $170.61. RevPAR was slightly down -1.4% at $101.16 but up 1.9% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to 2019, we are down in regards to occupancy with a decrease of -1.7% but counter this with an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 18.37% and 14.18% respectively.
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