VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau was pleased to announce Virginia Beach set a tourism record in 2017 by welcoming 19 million domestic visitors.
The record-breaking number of visitors spent $2.45 billion during their stays, according to a City of Virginia Beach press release.
This is the eighth consecutive year that visitor arrivals have increased in the city. The total number of visitors also represents a 7.34% growth from 2016’s official data.
8.9 million of the 19 million tourists were day-visitors, according to the release. 7.4 million stayed overnight and spent a total of $1.92 billion.
The tourism industry continues to be vital for the local economy, supporting roughly 14,000 hospitality jobs.
Visits to the city have increased by 38% since 2009, which is 13% above the national growth rate, according to Longwood International’s Travel USA Study.
