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Damascus sees hike in trail tourism
On a September afternoon, Stuart Wright was trying to persuade a tourist to bring her son back to visit the town of Damascus in Washington County. “Bring that little boy down here and he can play in the river, he can hike, he can bike the trail,” Wright coaxed. “Bring him where he’s got something […]
Norfolk cruise terminal begins work on $2.6M cruise ship gangway
Nauticus began construction on its $2.6 million cruise ship gangway in Norfolk this week, it announced Wednesday. The new boarding system will accommodate larger cruise ships, like the Carnival Magic, which is set to sail from Norfolk in 2022. Nauticus expects to have more than 180,000 cruise ship passengers in 2022. Swedish company Seawing PBB […]
Fed says Fifth District economy sees moderate growth
The Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) saw modest growth in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book is published eight times per year and is based on anecdotal information gathered from the 12 Federal Reserve […]
Bland County’s Eupepsia resort tops wellness hotel ranking
Eupepsia, a 250-acre Ayurveda wellness retreat in Bland County, was named the top wellness hotel in the nation this week by USA Today readers, who chose the resort from nominees selected by editors of USA Today’s 10Best rankings section. Set near the Jefferson National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Eupepsia offers vegetarian cuisine, health […]
Theater project aims to put Wytheville in limelight
Soon after Todd Wolford became executive director of community revitalization nonprofit Downtown Wytheville Inc. in 2015, he began seeking pictures of the Soda Shop, the Main Street hotspot his grandfather owned in the late ’50s and ’60s. After locating a couple photos of his grandfather’s packed establishment, Wolford had an epiphany: His job was to […]
Boosters seek federal protection for Chesapeake Bay recreation
For decades, conservationists have lobbied for the Chesapeake Bay to become a national park. During the past year, a new twist on that old idea has gained momentum: establishing the Chesapeake Bay as a national recreation area, stretching from Hampton’s Fort Monroe north to Annapolis, Maryland. National recreation areas extend federal protections to preserve recreational […]
Hospitality | Tourism
NEIL P. AMIN CEO, SHAMIN HOTELS, RICHMOND The past year has been a bit of a mixed bag for Amin and Shamin Hotels, one of the United States’ largest independent hoteliers. Shamin, which owns more than 60 hotels, saw its Hilton Richmond Hotel and Spa in Short Pump enter receivership in January after falling behind on […]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports
TONY BENNETT DEAN AND MARKEL FAMILIES MEN’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, VIRGINIA CAVALIERS MEN’S BASKETBALL, CHARLOTTESVILLE The University of Virginia men’s basketball team fell victim to a positive COVID-19 test in March, forcing it to withdraw from the ACC Tournament — a “gut punch,” Bennett called it. The team was cleared in time to play in […]
Virginia hotel revenues still down, compared to 2019
Virginia hotel revenues for July 2021 decreased by 3% compared with pre-pandemic levels in July 2019, according to newly released data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. During the same period, rooms sold decreased by 6%. The average daily rate (ADR) paid for hotel rooms […]
Va. hotel revenues still lagging pre-pandemic levels
Virginia hotel revenues for June 2021 were down 22% compared with pre-pandemic levels in June 2019, according to newly released data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. During the same period, rooms sold decreased by 14%. The average daily rate (ADR) paid for hotel rooms […]
Fed says Fifth District economy growing moderately
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”z7qx6rb9ba” question=”Why?” opened=”0″]Amid the post-pandemic recovery[/wpdiscuz-feedback], the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has been seeing moderate economic growth in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beig[...]
Northam proposes $353M for small biz, tourism relief
Ahead of the General Assembly’s August special session, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday he wants to spend $353 million of Virginia’s federal relief funding on small business recovery and assisting the tourism industry. Virginia received $4.3 billion in federal funds through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in March. The Democratic-controlled General Assembly will […]
