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February 2, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
We recently concluded the Groundworks Kick Off meeting with more than 2,000 participants from all over the country. I’d like to send a special shout out to all industry partners and stakeholders for your help making this citywide event a resounding success! These visitors not only stayed in our hotels, they also enjoyed our restaurants, shops and other attractions while here. Taking full advantage of our gorgeous location, more than 600 participated in a sunrise workout on the beach! Thank you to everyone involved including my team who worked very hard to make this event a home run.
Good luck all to the Polar Plunge Festival participants taking to the Oceanfront for a very worthy cause this weekend - we salute you!
Oceanfront Public Address (PA) System Test - Our colleagues at Emergency Management will be conducting a test of the Oceanfront PA (public address) system next Fri., Feb. 10 from 8:30 - 9 am. The testing will be conducted from the Second Precinct. Questions or concerns should be directed to Office of Emergency Management Response and Recovery Manager Andrew Booden at (757) 408-0956 or abooden@vbgov.com.
National Travel & Tourism Week 2023 - We recently announced that U.S. Travel has designated May 7 - 13 as 2023 National Travel & Tourism Week. Nominations for this year’s hospitality heroes are open so be sure to get your nominations in before the March 1, 2023 deadline. The nomination form may be found here. The CVB team is excited to be planning our local celebration for Thurs., May 11 at the Convention Center. Stay tuned for more information.
Media Coverage - Writers continue to be excited about our destination and it shows! Here are several recent media hits followed by news of an international media pitching opportunity we have coming up:
- Town & Country included Sandbridge Beach in a round-up of best east coast beaches
- Alexandrea Sumuel wrote a piece titled, “Discover the Best of Winter and Spring in Virginia Beach” for Wander With Alex
- VB is included in “America's Most Beautiful Beaches Seen From Above” on MSN
- VB is included in the “Best Domestic Beaches To Visit In 2023” on Wherever Family
Also, Erin Goldmeier will travel to the UK next week to represent the CVB during a Capital Region USA (CRUSA) media mission. She will meet one-on-one with a number of travel and trade journalists. When pitching Virginia Beach to the international market, the CVB works closely with CRUSA and Virginia Tourism Corporation to position Virginia Beach as the coastal city of choice for international guests to the region.
Virginia Beach Seeks Public Input on Electric Vehicle Use and Charging Infrastructure - The City is encouraging Virginia Beach residents and business owners to complete a public input survey designed to help the Department of Public Works understand the future electric vehicle (EV) charging needs within the city. The survey is now available at publicinput.com/electricvehicle and will be open for comment through 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Read more about it here.
Free Registration For VBHA’s Hospitality Expo - Everyone is invited to attend and visit with vendors who will be on-site to share their new products and materials at the 2023 Coastal Virginia Hospitality Expo scheduled for Wed., Feb. 15 at the Wyndham Hotel at 57th and Atlantic Ave. Complimentary attendee registration is now open; please register today here. This is a great networking opportunity so register and plan to come and connect with old friends and meet new ones at this fun, informative industry event.
Explore Town Center for Valentine’s Day - Dine, shop, explore and see what’s on tap for Valentines Day at the Town Center of Virginia Beach. Click here for all the scoop on uptown events and happenings.
Convention Center Activity - The Mid-Atlantic Sports & Boat Show in conjunction with the East Coast Leisure Show, both opening tomorrow, offers a fun way to get out of the chill this weekend. Come dream of warm weather and water sports with us!
Shamrock Marathon Weekend March 18-19, 2023 - This St. Paddy’s Day tradition at the Oceanfront has a race distance for every goal: Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K, challenges, and youth events. No matter the distance, you’ll experience a scenic course before you cross the finish line overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. For race/registration information, course maps, and more, please visit www.shamrockmarathon.com. Note that on March 18, the Shamrock 8k will close portions of Pacific Ave, Atlantic Ave, 25th Street, 27th Street, 37th Street, and the boardwalk. As well, please be aware that on March 19, the full and half marathon will result in partial road closures in the resort area of Virginia Beach. An official Road Closure notice will be distributed in March.
Events & Happenings
Our recently updated Calendar of Events is available here. Take a look and see more of what’s on the horizon for the first half of 2023.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry, and are here to help. Please let me know how we can assist.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
Hotel Performance for the week of January 15 - 21, 2023 - Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of January 15 – January 21 was up 18.2% at 40.4% occupancy and was up 4.2% for the running 28-day trend, according to Smith Travel Research. ADR was up 14.3% at $101.61 for the week and up 5.8% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 35.1% at $41.03 and up 10.2% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to January 2019, we have an increase in occupancy of 4.12% and we also saw an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 31.48% and 37.36% respectively.
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