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May 16, 2025
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
The first half of the year is almost upon us and our unofficial kickoff to summer is right around the corner! Can you feel the buzz in the air as we prepare for a great summer?
Given the forecasted gorgeous weather expected this weekend, we are preparing for many excited guests who will be arriving to attend or participate in a myriad of events taking place over the next several days across the City.
With dozens of events of every size and type taking place in the Resort, please be mindful there will be heavy foot and vehicular traffic which may cause temporary traffic delays. Please communicate with your staff so they’re also prepared and let’s give our guests the stellar experience Virginia Beach is known for!
If the weekend ahead is any indication of what our summer season is going to look like, there will be a lot of buckling up - great news for us! According to the experts at AAA, Memorial Day travel this year is expected to reach a record 20-year high with 45.1 million people traveling at least 50 miles between May 22nd and 26th. Of those choosing to travel, a whopping 87% of them will drive to their destination, which suits us perfectly! Read the full content of the story and see the data here.
Speaking of good news, we are pleased to share this week’s press hits:
- Family Vacationist mentioned The Cavalier Resort in a roundup of the top family beach resorts in the U.S. for 2025, and syndicated to USA Today, Newsbreak, AOL and Yahoo! Life
- The Virginia Beach Boardwalk is included in an Islands story on East vs. West Coast beaches
- Virginia Beach is mentioned as a hidden gem hiking spot in the Trazee Travel article, “6 U.S. Destinations for Summer Hikes”
The Convention Center was recently the setting for Towne Bank’s annual shareholders meeting and Virginia Beach Public Schools’ STEM Trifecta Expo. This weekend, the facility continues to host a myriad of events starting tomorrow with the 200+ Scholars Breakfast, a signature event of the 200+ Men Foundation, Inc. which honors African-American males from the region who are graduating high school with a 3.0 or better GPA. Opening Saturday and continuing through Sunday, the SGK Gun Show returns to the Center, followed by the beginning of load-in for the Vertical Flight Society Annual Forum & Technology Display. Welcoming engineers, scientists and others working to advance vertical flight technology, the Forum is the world's leading international technical event in that industry.
This weekend, Virginia Beach is set to become a hub for youth sports once again as the Sports Tourism team hosts two major events, drawing athletes and fans from across the region.
At the Princess Anne Athletic Complex, the 2025 757 USSSA Spring Nationals will bring together approximately 800 youth baseball players Saturday and Sunday. Teams from Hampton Roads, Richmond, Northern Virginia, and beyond will compete in this highly anticipated tournament, showcasing emerging youth baseball talent.
Simultaneously, the Virginia Beach Sports Center will host the Zero Gravity Blast at the Beach, a premier youth basketball tournament featuring around 1,500 athletes. From third grade to varsity level, boys’ and girls’ teams from up and down the East Coast will be here in Virginia Beach to showcase their talents.
These events underscore Virginia Beach's commitment to fostering youth sports and its reputation as a top destination for athletic competitions. Residents and visitors are encouraged to attend and support these young athletes as they showcase their skills and sportsmanship throughout the weekend right here in our city!
In CVB travel news, Kelli Norman and the Capital Region/Virginia Tourism Team is representing the destination in Germany this week as they meet with various tour operators, United Airlines, US Commercial Service/Europe and visit USA Germany. The German Department of Commerce reports the month of April reached a 14.7% increase in visitation to the U.S.
City maintenance work continues on the pump station located next to the Marriott on 42nd Street. This work is expected to be completed by May 23rd 2025.
Pungo Offroad Monsters on the Beach Weekend - This weekend Virginia Beach offers an experience hard to find in other beach destinations. The kickoff of the 2025 Pungo Offroad Monsters on the Beach is tonight with shows running through this Sunday, May 18th. This event brings thrills and chills to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront as some of the most popular monster trucks on the East Coast battle for ultimate sand domination! This family-targeted event is loud, fast, and exciting. A course is built right on the beach at 6th Street, with bleachers overlooking from the Boardwalk. Sand dunes and junk cars combine to make the race course fast and fun for drivers and spectators alike. This is a ticketed event, with prices designed to fit the family budget. Find out more about all the excitement here.
2025 Graduation Expressions Art Exhibit at Town Center Debuts May 17th: Beginning tomorrow, Saturday May 17th, and running through Sunday, June 15th, Virginia Beach Town Center opens its doors and Fountain Plaza to all college, high school, and advanced learning graduates along with those who have received any academic achievement this year. Town Center is proud of all graduates and has an innovative way to share inspirational and uplifting messages from local artists.
The Town Center Fountain Plaza will provide the backdrop and inspiration for five Hampton Roads artists selected from Virginia Wesleyan University’s art department, to create inspirational messages through art for all 2025 graduates/honorees. Town Center’s own life-sized selfie picture frame is also at the Fountain Plaza to help celebrate the moment with family, friends, and loved ones. Don’t miss a picture with the artists' signatures on the stairs adjacent to Zieder's American Dream Theater and additionally, all Town Center restaurants and cafes will have their doors open for all to enjoy. While there, why not take advantage of the great opportunity to buy that special gift from one of the area’s many retailers? Find out more at this link and congratulations, one and all!
Nominees Sought for 2025 Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association (VRLTA) Ordinary Awards - Following the close of National Travel and Tourism Week 2025, it's now time to gear up to nominate your hospitality superstars for the state-wide Ordinary Awards.
Hosted by the VRLTA, these prestigious awards celebrate and honor all of Virginia’s restaurants, lodging establishments and hotels, DMOs, attractions, and more. Simply ordinary is not what these nominees are; in fact, they are extraordinary in that they shine a light on the incredible restaurateurs, hoteliers, attractions, establishments, and employees that represent some of the best our industry has to offer from across the state.
Nominations are open through June 30th, 2025, and winners announced at the VRLTA awards dinner and ceremony on September 8th, 2025. Find out more about the awards dinner and the process for nominating someone at the link provided here.
Partner Professional Development Opportunities - To support our strategic pillar of accountability to our stakeholders and the industry as a whole, we are pleased to share information about upcoming opportunities for professional development:
Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association Hospitality Training Opportunities - VRLTA’s 2025 Regional Seminars aim to provide education and resources on critical industry topics, extending VRLTA’s outreach and enhancing their statewide presence through valuable, focused programming.
VRLTA Offers Free Human Trafficking Training & Prevention Seminar - - Human trafficking is a widespread issue that often operates in plain sight. The hospitality and tourism industries are uniquely positioned to help identify and report potential cases, making training and awareness critical. I hope many of you are registered for this free training being offered this Monday, May 19th, from 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Virginia Beach. This seminar, part of the VRLTA Coastal Regional Seminar series, is open to all in the hospitality community. Find out more about this important educational opportunity and register at the link provided here.
Other VRLTA Training Offerings - The VRLTA regularly also offers a variety of training and certification opportunities in the hospitality industry. These include online courses, career and technical education programs, and certification programs. Visit https://www.vrlta.org/hospitality-training/ for more information.
2025 Miles Partnership Professional Development Dates - For more information about the following opportunities and/or to register, visit https://www.milespartnership.com/how-we-think:
- June 24 – Technology Trends, Powered by the American Traveler
- September 16 – Traveler Segments, Powered by the State of the American Traveler
- November 18 – Stewardship & Sustainability Insights, Powered by the State of the American Traveler
I hope some of you, or your designees, are able to take advantage of one or more of these insightful opportunities.
Inaugural Strawberry Fest at The Beach - We welcome a new event for the Resort, the inaugural Strawberry Fest at the Beach. This event is a celebration of one of our native berries and will feature live music, pie-eating contests and all the strawberry treats you can dream up. Follow the social media activity and find more information here. Please note there may be temporary traffic impacts in the area; see the Event Road Closure Notice here for more details. Follow the social media activity and find more information here.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
Find the 2025 CVB Event Calendar here, the Virginia Beach Events entertainment schedule here, and a link to the many fun events at Town Center of Virginia Beach here.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry and are here to help in any way we can.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
nhelman@visitvirginiabeach.com
CVB Strategic Pillars:
Engagement|Growth|Brand Development|Culture|Accountability
Hotel Occupancy for March 2025 - Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the month of March was down -0.6% from March of 2024, at 57.5% occupancy, and down -2.7% year to date. ADR was up 2.8% from March of 2024 at $130.63, and up 1.9% year to date. RevPAR was up 2.2% from March of 2024, at $75.16, but down -0.9% year to date.
Source: STR, LLC. Republication or other reuse of this data without the express written permission of STR, LLC is strictly prohibited.
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