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A summer without hurricanes boosts tourism

Posted at 6:58 PM, Dec 03, 2013
and last updated 2013-12-03 18:58:26-05

Virginia Beach, Va. (WTKR) - A summer that saw no hurricanes threaten the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina was good news for the tourism industry.

The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau reports that after a slow June, which they attribute to rainy weather, tourism spending rebounded dramatically in July and August, a 6% and 5% increase respectively compared to 2012.

That's no small feat considering that 2012 was a record year for tourism revenue.

"Tourism is the second leading generator of revenue for the city of Virginia Beach," explained Ron Kuhlman, Vice President of Tourism Marketing and Sales for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Kuhlman says he can't remember another year in his 22 years in Virginia Beach where no hurricanes threatened the coast. While he admits it's hard to quantify the impact of that, he can say the impact is a good one.

"There’s no second guessing that when they are forecasting cold and rainy weather and that does have an impact versus someone seeing 85 and sunny," Kuhlman said.

It's a similar story in the Outer Banks, where Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Public Relations Manager Aaron Tuell says Dare County is up almost 4% over last year when it comes to lodging and prepared meals receipts.