NORFOLK, Va.— The first week of May is National Travel and Tourism Week, and cities are still finding ways to celebrate even while the industry is on pause.
“I think that there's a lot of locals, or even regionally, that don't realize all everything that Norfolk offers,” says Sarah Hughes, VisitNorfolk’s director of marketing and communications.
Norfolk is encouraging locals and newcomers to visit virtuallyuntil the pandemic passes.
“We have everything from the Chrysler Museum giving tours and videos that you can watch to ways that if you do live somewhat locally, how you can social distance by like, you know, walking or biking the Elizabeth River Trail or exploring some of our neighborhoods and just looking at the beautiful architecture that exists,” says Hughes.
Related: Norfolk Botanical Garden offers refuge for social distancing
Several local attractions including Push Comedy, Perry Glass Studio and Coast DIY Bar are offering virtual experiences, digital tours and live streaming classes and sharing them on the VisitNorfolk website.
“It gives people something to look forward to if they know every Thursday, they can tune in at 2 p.m. for this specialized viewing. So, it's kind of trying to add someone fun, but also like, structure back to people's lives," says Hughes.
Every day during National Travel and Tourism Week has a theme. Tuesday’s is Takeout Tuesday, and people are encouraged to support local and order takeout.
“I think that in certain regards people even in neighboring cities or in our own city have learned, like, 'You know, we can't wait to visit you once things are open again; we've never taken advantage of this in the past,'" says Hughes.
