VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The numbers for tourism revenue for 2022 are in, and Hampton Roads ranks as one of the biggest revenue generators in the state.
According to the latest report from Virginia Tourism Corporation, cities in the Hampton Roads area made a combined $6.5 billion in tourism profits. It's an $800 million increase compared to 2021's $5.7 billion profits.
"It just goes to show what a destination area our city is," said John Zirkle, President of Virginia Beach's Oceanfront Hotel Association.
In just Virginia Beach, the share of the tourism revenue seen is almost $2.5 billion, and made up 8% of the state's spending share.
It's the largest tourism revenue for any city in Virginia, except for overall counties like Loudon County.
Dan Roberts, Vice President of Research and Strategy for Virginia Tourism Corporation said the numbers seen in Hampton Roads had a direct impact on the state's financial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The state is about 4% over 2019 levels while Hampton Roads is about 20% over pre-pandemic levels," said Roberts. "It is really just speaking to just how well the region provides and drives the region's overall growth."
However, experts do not believe the trend will continue into 2023.
"The weather in Virginia Beach didn't help back in June when we had so much rain and just bad weather, and it's hard to get three record breaking years in a row," said Zirkle.
Roberts said the majority of out-of-state visitors came from places like New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
Researchers expect the results of the 2023 tourism revenue profits to be released sometime in 2024.
Virginia Tourism Corporation has a full look at 2022's profits on their website.