VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Visitors spent $33.3 billion in Virginia last year, according to recently released data from the state, a nearly 10% increase from the year before.
Boardwalks and piers across America are seeing a surge in tourism spending.
Virginia Beach city leaders are still calculating their own tourism revenue for 2023. They expect to release this sometime in the fall. But across the entire state, it is estimated that $91 million was spent by tourists each day.
A big contributing factor to the rise in tourism spending is inflation and a rise in overall travel costs. But Oceanfront business owners are still noticing a boost in the amount of people enjoying the beach.
“I feel like after COVID, every year, we notice a slight improvement,” said Mirco Bonati, general manager of The Green Cat Juice Bar and Market. “Foot traffic, that we notice. We notice a lot of big events coming into town that are bringing in more business for us as well. And we’re really very thankful for it.”
Bonati credits Oceanfront events for bringing on the visitors. But prices for tickets have gone up.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a price increase of sporting events, concerts and theaters.
Bonati said good weather on the weekends also helped a ton this year.
“And honestly, the weather has been perfect…” Bonati said. “I mean, except for at the beginning of August.”
About 38% of adults in the country say they plan to take on more debt to travel and see more live events, according to data from Bankrate.
