Fun for Every Visitor

Tourism continues to be one of Hampton Roads’ most important industries, bringing significant outside dollars into the economy, which enables broad based regional economic growth. The tourism industry allows the region to export its climate, beaches, and history to the rest of the nation. As with the port and defense industries in the region, the tourism industry developed in Hampton Roads because of its unique competitive advantages, particularly its water and historical resources. The tourism industry is well developed within the region, having achieved a high level of maturity indicating that the opportunity for extensive employment growth is unlikely.

Norfolk’s Waterside District is the “premier dining and entertainment district” in conjunction with the U.S.S. Wisconsin and the Norfolk Tides.

The city’s cruise terminal is easily accessible to guests transferring from the airport or arriving by car.

You can now sail from Norfolk to the Bahamas on cruises that typically range from five to seven nights in length. Visit https://www.norfolkcruise.com/.

Norfolk’s Wards Corner area continues development with its current makeover. Furthermore, Virginia Beach and the developer Venture Realty Group announced Atlantic Park, a $335-million mixed-used development, is a done deal, and construction has begun in the former Virginia Beach Dome site in the heart of the resort area to feature an entertainment complex for both tourists and residents.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened to the public Jan. 15, 2023. The $340 million venue, part of a planned entertainment district along Victory Boulevard off Interstate 264, features 1,446 slot machines, 57 table games and 24 poker tables as well as 10 bars and restaurants and an event space. It also includes a Topgolf Swing Suites that overlooks a BetRivers Sportsbook.

Rivers Casino, which is owned and will be operated by Rush Street Gaming, is the first permanent casino facility to open in Virginia. Proposed casinos are in the pipeline in Danville and Norfolk.

757 Makerspace has expanded its presence at Fort Monroe to better serve the region and more particularly, the Virginia Peninsula. The new Fort Monroe location provides 12,733 square feet of creative space in an ideal setting just outside the moat of the historic Fort at 16 Murray Street. This has been a great opportunity to partner with the Hampton Economic Development Authority (EDA), Hampton City Schools, the Fort Monroe Authority and the City of Hampton to expand opportunities for artists and makers in the region.

Events in Hampton’s venues fill the Virginia Peninsula hotels and are entertainment hubs for regional residents. Hampton experienced dramatic changes recently in Phoebus, and downtown Hampton will experience a new wave of redevelopment this year. The new Hampton Virginia Aquaplex opened summer 2022. For more details visit: https://hamptonaquaplex.com/.

▲ The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry crosses the James River between James City County and Surry County. The ferry is free and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including major holidays.

Wild Care Center

The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News has begun a $4.3 million expansion to its 23-acre campus called the Wild Care Center. The 5,000-square-foot facility will be located along the museum’s outdoor boardwalk trail that will create a literal window into the world of veterinary and preventative animal care, nutrition, and the connection between humans and the environment. In addition to becoming a vital resource for the local community, the Wild Care Center will allow the museum to expand its internship and externship programs for those pursuing careers in natural and medical sciences.

Hampton Carousel

The carousel, one of only 170 functioning antique wooden carousels in the United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It contains 42 oil paintings, 30 mirrors, a 1914 Bruder band organ, 48 hand-carved wooden horses, and two upholstered, hand-carved wooden chariots. It was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and installed at Buckroe Beach Amusement Park in 1920. It was disassembled in 1985 when the amusement park closed and was restored and installed in its present location downtown in 1991.

Newport New’s City Center at Oyster Point continues to grow with more entertainment venues as restaurants, a movie theater. Newport New’s first craft brewery, the Ironclad Distillery, located in the downtown waterfront, produces bourbon using Virginia-grown grains.

Listed on the National register of Historic Places, Hilton Village in Newport News is a collection of over 27 unique shoppes, clothiers, eateries, vintage & consignment clothing, home furnishings & decor, antique & vintage accents, galleries and salons. Located along Warwick Boulevard, the Village is the place to shop, eat, relax and enjoy! Visit https://explorehiltonvillage.com/.

Local Tourism Industry

The local tourism industry follows the national and regional economy and thus national consumer confidence is closely followed by tourism professionals on both the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads as a strong predictor of regional tourism activity.

Virginia Beach, Chesapeake/Suffolk and the other Hampton Roads sub-segments were able to increase occupancy numbers, according to recently published Smith Travel Research data. But the Beach held a commanding lead in the category that industry experts say is the prime indicator of hotel performance: Revenue per available room, or RevPAR.

RevPAR is a measure of how much cash the rooms are pulling in on average, factoring in the rooms that are unoccupied. High occupancy rates mean little if room rates are cheap, and high room rates mean little if only a handful are occupied.

Five Different Markets

Smith Travel Research, a major source of tourism data, has divided the Hampton Roads’ region into five distinct lodging markets: Williamsburg and Newport News/Hampton on the Peninsula, and Norfolk/Portsmouth,

Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake/Suffolk in South Hampton Roads.

The hotel data (which does not include timeshares) and the tourism employment data fail to capture the full impact on tourism. This data proves extremely difficult to access, and often estimates are made with surveys or other imprecise tools. While the previous paragraph noted the decline in hotel activity in Williamsburg, it is difficult to estimate how many former Williamsburg visitors now stay in Chesapeake or Virginia Beach and drive into Williamsburg for day trips, or how many of the Williamsburg visitors stay in the area’s 6,000 (approximate) time share rooms. The state has made estimates for expenditures by locality which have some value, but they are based off various tax receipts and thus are necessarily at least a year out of date.

Regional efforts to market Hampton Roads as a destination are coordinated through the Coastal Virginia Tourism Alliance. Visit on the web at www. visitcova.com. 