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September 29, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
It’s officially Fall in Virginia Beach and while we are beginning to feel the transition by the change in the weather, the temperature remains elevated when it comes to our events and activities, especially our outdoor adventures. This season brings us scores of opportunities to get outdoors and I hope each of you have a chance to take advantage of the many fun things there are to do right here in our own backyard. From this weekend’s Neptune Festival activities to the judging of the International Sandsculpting Championships, I hope you can get outside and have a little fun.
Speaking of fun, our continued brand development efforts keep journalists interested in our destination as shown in these recent media hits highlighting some of our best memory-making opportunities:
- Virginia Beach is featured in Fishing Booker’s “9 Best Fall Fishing Destinations for 2023” roundup article
- A-Z Animals features Virginia Beach in “The 18 Best Places to Whale Watch on the U.S. East Coast”
- The VBCVB and Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center are featured in The Meetings Magazine’s “SMERF Meetings” article
- Jeff Oganga, The Travel, shares the difference between North and South Virginia Beach
- There’s a beautiful spread with great coverage of Virginia Beach in the September issue of The Group Travel Leader magazine - click here to take a look (the feature on Virginia runs Pages 30 - 37).
CVB Sales Activity and News: Kelli Norman attended the Capital Region Global Tourism Exchange in Annapolis MD last week, meeting one-on-one with tour operators from five different countries. She also hosted 11 tour operators in Virginia Beach on a post FAM. This week Jim Coggin is in Lancaster, PA for the Maryland Motorcoach Association Group Leader Show, with over 400 group leaders in attendance who are eager to bring their groups to Virginia Beach.
This week, Virginia Beach is the place to be for sports fans! We’re hosting three great sporting events and welcoming over 1,500 athletes. The festivities kicked off on Wednesday at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex, which transformed into a field of dreams for the participants of the 2023 ISSA Winter Nationals Senior Softball Tournament. Athletes aged 55 to 85 have put on display tremendous athleticism and sportsmanship, battling it out on the field to clinch top honors, with over 1,000 participants vying for victory. Simultaneously, the Virginia Beach Tennis Center is set to witness relentless pursuit of tennis mastery in the USTA Mid Atlantic Adult 65/Mixed 40 Sectional League Tournament. Adding a splash of excitement for water sports enthusiasts, the Princess Anne Family YMCA is the venue for the thrilling 2023 King Neptune Fall Invite Swim Meet, spotlighting the elegance and speed of ambitious swimmers.
At the VBCC, the UKC Eastern Classic Dog Show opens today and runs through the weekend. Formerly known as Virginia Classic, the UKC Eastern Classic is a Total Dog Regional Qualifying Event and promises to bring some strong competition in both performance and conformation. Next weekend the facility looks forward to welcoming both the Virginia Beach Coin Show and Treasures of the Earth Gem & Jewelry show. Soon to follow is the SGK Gun Show along with multiple conferences and social functions.
The Resort Management Office is currently accepting applications for the Café Franchise Program for next year. Eligible restaurants are invited to apply for a café franchise with operation to begin in the 2024 season. The City of Virginia Beach's Café Franchise Program was established in 1985 at the request of the Resort Advisory Commission to introduce the opportunity for outdoor cafés to operate on City property in the Resort Area where they are feasible and appropriate. Applications are encouraged to be submitted by the end of November to have sufficient time for full review and construction by May 1. Review and approval procedure will require a minimum of three months. No application shall be processed for the year in question if submitted after Feb. 1 Please visit https://cvb.virginiabeach.gov/resort-management/resort-area-outdoor-cafe-franchise-program for more information and an application.
Plan to Join in the Celebrate During the 49th Annual Neptune Festival - An estimated 400,000 people celebrate the beach life each year at the Neptune Festival! This year the Festival dates are Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 12. Get ready for free daily concerts at festival stages featuring local, regional, and national acts. More than 250 artists will set up shop on the boardwalk for Neptune's Art & Craft Show this weekend, along with a variety of food options. From crab cakes to Italian ice, stained glass to pottery, there is sure to be something to delight every generation of festival-goers alike. Take a walk through the International Sandsculpting Championship tent, where you will find 22 incredible works of art created by 32 of the world's most talented sculptors. Back by popular demand are free sandsculpting clinics taught by the pros! More than 35 local, regional, and national acts will perform during the weekend. All concerts are free and open to the public. Find out more about what the Neptune Festival has to offer by clicking here.
Take note that there will be temporary traffic impacts in the Resort Area this weekend for Neptune’s Grand Parade and 8K race. Please refer to the Road Closure Notification found here and be sure to share the news with your staff and guests.
2023 VB Summit Set for Wednesday, November 15 - Planning is underway for the 2023 VB Summit. As we shared recently, Tourism Economics President, Adam Sacks will be our keynote speaker. An authority on measuring the economic impact of visitor activity, Adam will present our 2022 tourism economic impact data to City Council on the evening of Tuesday, November 14 and again the next morning to the industry and the public during our VB Summit. In addition to the presentation, there will be a trade show exhibition component to the event which will offer you, our valued partners, the opportunity to have a presence at the tradeshow. CVB will be providing tables and we invite everyone to sign up to join us. Email Teresa Diaz at tdiaz@visitvirginiabeach.com for more information.
Calling All Animators: The ViBe Creative District is partnering with Beach Events on the 2023 Holiday Lights animation projection within the Holiday Lights footprint at the Oceanfront. The ViBe Creative District has invested in the exterior equipment and construction mount to house the projection station for the animation. The artist will only need to supply the animation video which can be between 15 to 20 seconds long and must include the ViBe logo, the words “Happy Holidays from Virginia Beach” and content inspired by the holidays. Interested in submitting your work? Find out more here including the artist stipend details and deadline information.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
The CVB Events Calendar for July 1 - December 31, 2023 may be found here. To view the Resort area entertainment schedule, click here. For Town Center events and activities, click here.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry and are here to help any way that we can. Please let me know how we can assist you.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
CVB Strategic Pillars:
Engagement|Growth|Brand Development|Culture|Accountability
Hotel Occupancy Data for the Week of September 17 - 23: Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of September 17 – September 23 was down -4.0% at 64.2% occupancy and down -3.1% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was slightly down -0.3% at $144.87 for the week but up 1.6% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was down -4.3% at $92.95 and down -1.6% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to the month of September 2019, we have a decrease in occupancy of -8.67% but counter this with an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 14.59% and 4.92% respectively.
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