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Newport News aims for summer music festival
Newport News is preparing to launch a major music festival this year to boost tourism and support area businesses. Mayor Phillip Jones says the city is currently trying to attract national talent and is reviewing applications from people and organizations wanting to help organize, partner with and promote the festival. Although Newport News has “a […]
Va. Beach gives Something in the Water 5-day deadline over contract breach
After receiving a brief reprieve, the clock is ticking for organizers for Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water music festival. Organizers were given five days to make significant progress in meeting Virginia Beach‘s requirements for a lineup of performers and a start to ticket sales, city officials decided Tuesday. If organizers do not meet the […]
Richmond water crisis shuts down many restaurants, businesses
Jan. 9 update: Richmond starts water testing, but city remains under boil water advisory “Dry January” became all too literal in Richmond, where most city residents and businesses were struggling with a water outage that started Monday afternoon and was still leaving much of a city with a population of more than 225,000 people without […]
Southwest tourism spending climbs
Visitor spending in Southwest Virginia reached $766 million in 2023, a 12% increase from 2022, according to data from the Virginia Tourism Corp. The region also saw a 29% increase from 2019, a rise that puts it well above that of the state as a whole, which saw a 15% increase in tourism revenue from […]
Omni Homestead GM receives lifetime achievement award
The American Hotel & Lodging Association presented Mark Spadoni, managing director of The Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County, with the association’s General Manager Lifetime Achievement Award on Oct. 28. The association honored Spadoni in San Antonio at its second annual The Hospitality Show conference, cosponsored by Questex’s Hotel Management brand. “I am deeply honored [&hel[...]
Opening doors
The Hard Rock entertainment, gaming, and hospitality brand is solidifying its place in Bristol on Nov. 14 with the formal opening of its Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, a $515 million resort and casino. The company has had a presence in the city for the last two years via a temporary casino facility, but […]
Meeting of the minds
Inclusive narratives, a post-pandemic restaurant industry and artificial intelligence are just a few of the topics that will feature in this year’s VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit, an annual gathering of tourism professionals from across the state and beyond. Scheduled Nov. 13-15, the 2024 VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit will take place at Hot Springs’ The Omni […]
Fed’s Fifth District economy grows modestly
Economic activity in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) grew modestly from early September, according to the latest edition of the Fed’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions gathered [...]
Hard Rock Bristol to open permanent facility Nov. 14
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol will open its approximately $515 million permanent facility on Nov. 14, with country music star Blake Shelton making an appearance at the ceremony, its development team announced Wednesday. The temporary Bristol Casino: Future Home of Hard Rock opened July 8, 2022, making it Virginia’s first operating casino. Since then, […]
Va. tourism generated $33.3B for 2023
Virginia’s tourism industry generated $33.3 billion in visitor spending in 2023, an increase of nearly 10% over 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. “The commonwealth’s record-breaking visitor spending numbers are a testament to our abundance of attractions and unique destinations,” Gov. Youngkin stated in a news release. Virginia’s tourism industry supported over [...]
Cashing in
In 2019, a state study forecast that if the General Assembly allowed five casinos to operate in five economically disadvantaged Virginia cities — Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond — that one-third of the revenue generated would stem from out-of-state visitors. In other words, if you build it, casino backers sang out to the commonwealth’s […]
Visit Alexandria appoints next president and CEO
A veteran tourism marketing executive from California, Todd O’Leary, will be Visit Alexandria’s new president and CEO, effective July 8, the tourism marketing organization announced Monday. Visit Alexandria’s board of governors has appointed O’Leary to succeed Patricia Washington, who announced her plans to retire in December 2023. Washington will lead the organization thro[...]
