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April 21, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
We are definitely in festival season, Virginia Beach! Last weekend, we welcomed the first-ever Bulls & Barrels Rodeo to the coastal beaches of our Resort Area. Complete with bleacher seating and a VIP area, the Rodeo included bull-riding, barrel racing, mutton busting and a whole lot of high-energy! I was thrilled to see entire families getting in on the fun; some of the kids’ faces were priceless! Huge thanks to the many volunteers and staff who helped make this fun weekend a reality, including our local 4-H community clubs who proved to be invaluable. What a fantastic component to a great event! If you missed this excitement this year, get your tickets early for next year. The planning has already started, so stay tuned!
Register Today for the 2023 National Travel & Tourism Week Hospitality Awards Luncheon. As shared last week, registration is now open. Everyone is invited to join in the celebration of the Virginia Beach tourism industry at the 2023 NTTW Hospitality Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 11 in the Ballroom at the VBCC. Doors open at 11:00 am for a networking reception followed by a luncheon and awards program where top honors in a variety of categories will be announced. Pre-registration for all who plan to attend is required, please click HERE to register. Please note that emails were sent to all nominees so if you are a nominator, you can now reach out, offer your congratulations, and ensure you and your nominee are registered for the luncheon. We want to be sure every nominee is recognized!
Tomorrow (Sat., April 22), the East Coast She-crab Soup Classic returns to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The competition will feature regional restaurants vying for the title of Best She-crab Soup. Attendees sample and vote for the People's Choice Awards while regional cuisine experts serve up Critics Choice Awards. Don't miss the opportunity to sample some of the best She-crab soup on the East Coast from more than a dozen participating kitchens! Tickets are still available here.
SITW Road Closure Notification - Partners, please be aware: As we enter the home stretch of planning for Something In the Water (SITW), we wanted to share the official Road Closure Notification which will be in effect April 28 - 30, 2023.
Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA) Presents “Something On the Menu” April 23 - 30 - The VBRA invites locals and guests to enjoy daily menu specials highlighting food and beverage items exclusively created to coincide with the Something in the Water Festival. From Back Bay to Chesapeake Bay, Oceanfront, Town Center, and beyond, there’s “Something on the Menu'' at select Virginia Beach restaurants. Participating restaurants are spreading the spirit of the Something in the Water Festival with a casual groove, cool vibes, and great eats all week. Find out who’s participating here!
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Presents A Seat At The Table, An Arts & Cultural Experience - This Something in the Water community event brings a night of conversation and celebration for Black arts and culture in the Hampton Roads community. On April 27 from 6 - 11 pm, the Urban League of Hampton Roads (ULHR) in collaboration with Virginia MOCA will host “A Seat at the Table: An Arts & Culture Experience,” in celebration of the 3rd Annual Something in the Water Music Festival. The event will feature exhibitions from international artists, Kara Walker and LaToya M. Hobbs. Virginia MOCA will also be featuring atrium artists in residence, Amber Pierce, Poetry Jackson and Nadd Harvin, alongside four regional artists selected to be featured throughout the museum: Ashley Raeneil, Chris Green, Loscar Creations, and QRCKY. Click here for more information.
You're Invited! Soak Up Spring at Town Center - Shop, dine, explore and more at the beautiful Town Center of Virginia Beach. For the latest on what’s happening in this bustling district, click on Town Talk.
New Plant Life Adds Beauty Along Atlantic Ave. - You may have noticed new plant life along Atlantic Avenue over the past several weeks. Thirty-four Ligustrum trees were recently planted by Parks and Recreation’s Resort Landscape Services team. These young trees replaced aging trees in several locations. The process was not a typical weekend backyard project. One tree weighs approximately 320 lbs. mostly, due to the massive root ball. Heavy equipment was operated and expertly guided to both remove old trees and plant the new ones. This hearty evergreen has proved to be one of the few types to be able to survive the extreme oceanfront environment. The Ligustrum typically grows to be between 8 and 12 feet and can live up to 50 years in the right environment if well-maintained. Greg Benitez and Tracy Bracey Smith, team leads for Landscape Services in the Resort area, combined their teams to complete the work. Thank you, Resort Landscape Services, for making the Resort area more beautiful through trees, plants, and flowers!
 
Convention Center Activity - Celebrating their 37th year, the 2023 Virginia Beach Spring Craft Market arrives at the Convention Center this weekend (April 21 - 23). Shoppers will find 140 local and national artisans on site, offering the best in hand-made American crafts, fine art, garden collectibles, glass, gourmet foods and more! New this year is the Porch & Patio Craft Showcase. Free parking, shuttle service and second day return. Click here for more information.
CVB Sales Activity and News - Dee Mittman completed a trip to Las Vegas for Connect Diversity where she hosted a client event with our industry colleagues from across the state. She will also be attending Northstar Meeting Group’s Emerging Leaders earlier next week in Louisville, KY. A warm Virginia Beach welcome to our guests from the Women’s Ministries and North American Lake Management Society.
Sports Tourism Activity - This weekend we host the 2023 Big Shots Virginia Beach Live Basketball Tournament at the Sports Center. This event will bring some of the top youth AAU basketball athletes to Virginia Beach as well as many collegiate basketball coaches from all over the country to scout the future basketball talent of tomorrow. At the Princess Anne Athletic Complex the 2023 Beast of the East softball tournament will showcase the talent of 800 softball athletes over an exciting, two-day event.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
Our current Calendar of Events is available here. Take a look and see more of what’s on the horizon.
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 Occupancy for the week of April 2 - 8 - According to Smith Travel Research, Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of April 2 – April 8 was up 7.2% at 63.8% occupancy and up 1.1% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was up 4.2% at $134.46 for the week and up 3.0% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 11.7% at $85.85 and up 4.1% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to the month of April 2019, we have a decrease in occupancy of -9.24% but counter this with an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 14.72% and 4.41% respectively.
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