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February 24, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
For 40 years, U.S. Travel has set aside a week each May to celebrate the U.S. travel community and travel’s essential role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities, creating quality job opportunities, inspiring new businesses and elevating the quality of life for Americans every day. Locally, we recognize our industry’s finest - we call them our hospitality heroes - by hosting the Virginia Beach Travel and Tourism Awards Luncheon. This year our celebration is scheduled for Thu., May 11 at the Convention Center. Nominations for this year’s hospitality heroes in more than 10 different categories are open until the deadline of Wed., Mar. 1st. The easy-to-submit online form may be found here. Remember, there is no fee to nominate, and nominations are open to anyone working in the Virginia Beach hospitality industry, your staff and those at your favorite places included! All nominees are invited as guests to the luncheon which is being headlined this year by local radio personality “Some Guy Named Allen” from FM 106.1. It will be a great time!
VBthrive Small Business Grant Program - The fourth and final round of the VBthrive Small Business Grant program will close this Tues., Feb. 28, 2023, at 11:59 pm. Most eligibility and use of funds guidelines have remained the same except now applicants can submit eligible expenses up to December 31, 2022. Click here to visit the VBthrive website.
Shamrock Marathon Weekend March 18-19, 2023 - No matter the distance, you’ll experience a scenic course before you cross the finish line overlooking the Atlantic Ocean for this St. Paddy’s Day tradition which has a race distance for every goal. For race/registration information, course maps, and more, click here. 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. The official Road Closure notice can be found here.
Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) 2023 Orientation Program - 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. Join VTC staff for a virtual interactive event where you will learn about VTC’s marketing opportunities that can help increase visitation. Orientation sessions run three consecutive mornings from 9 a.m.-noon; click here for the 2023 dates and to register for this free program.
Sales Activity - The M&C Sales & Service team had a busy week. The team traveled to Richmond with four hotel partners to blitz the region and host two events: a reception in downtown Richmond and a “Lunch & Learn” in Glen Allen. The services team, along with help from the VIC, are welcoming the Virginia Fire & Rescue Conference back to the Beach for their 24th year.
We are happy to celebrate one of our own for his feature in Leisure Group Tour magazine. You will find our All Star Jim Coggin featured on page 13 of the publication found here.
Convention Center Activity - Currently, the VBCC is hosting more than 900 firefighters for the Virginia Fire & Rescue Conference. Next week is the Society of American Military Engineers Small Business Outreach Conference and the Annual Meeting of Distributive Education Clubs of America. The Navy League, Commonwealth Challenge, and the Department of Environmental Quality are all hosting gatherings at the VBCC as well. On a staff note, Stella Sayler heads to Pittsburgh this week for the International Association of Venue Managers’ Academy for Venue Safety & Security training.
Events & Happenings
Our current 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 February 5 - 11: According to STR, Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of February 5 – February 11 was up 1% at 43.9% occupancy and was up 6.3% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was up 3.2% at $102.54 for the week and up 9.3% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 4.3% at $45.01 and up 16.3% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to February 2019, we have a decrease in occupancy of -12.2% but counter this with an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 23.33% and 8.22% respectively.
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