VIRGINIA BEACH — City officials and business leaders often tout that tourism is big business in Virginia Beach, describing its economic impact as “undeniable.”
Officials said the industry generates $1.4 billion in direct travel-related expenditures, $122 million in state and local tax revenue, and $256 million in salaries.
“Those salaries are earned by a workforce of dedicated hospitality professionals who host millions of visitors each year,” officials said in a news release.
So, in conjunction with U.S. Travel Association‘s National Travel and Tourism Week national promotion, registration is open for the 2018 Virginia Beach Travel & Tourism awards luncheon.
The May 9 event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
This year’s theme is “Travel Then and Now” and will shine a spotlight on the people – on the frontlines and behind the scenes – who are the driving force of the hospitality industry.
In Virginia Beach, the spotlight will focus on the “best of the best” of the industry’s diverse hospitality workforce during the awards luncheon, where winners of more than 30 individual hospitality industry awards will be announced.
Register online through April 25 at www.vbgov.com/NTTW. Tickets are $15 each – tickets will not be available the day of the event.
For registration assistance, contact Brande Rumpf at 757-385-6624, or BRumpf@visitvirginiabeach.com.
