Virginia Beach 2017 Visitor Research - VBgov.com · 2019-01-30 · and interactivity, as well as greater respondent involvement. It is currently the largest ongoing study conducted

Virginia Beach 2017 Visitor Research

Introduction…………….………………………………..…………..……………..… 3

Research Objectives…………………………………………..……………...…….. 4

Methodology………………………………………………………………...……….. 5

Key Findings………………………………………………………..………………… 6

Size & Structure of the U.S. Travel Market…………………………..…………… 10

Size & Structure of Virginia Beach’s Domestic Travel Market………………..……….. 14

Overnight Trip Expenditures in Virginia Beach…….………………………..…...… 22

Overnight Trip Characteristics……………………..…………………….………… 30

Demographic Profile of Overnight Visitors………..........................................… 65

Day Trip Expenditures……………………………………………...………..…...… 76

Day Trip Characteristics……………………………………………………..……… 82

Demographic Profile of Day Visitors………………........................................… 104

Appendix A: Key Terms Defined…………………………………………………..…. 115

Appendix B: How Visitation to Virginia Beach is Calculated……………………..…. 118

Longwoods International began tracking American travelers in 1985, and has conducted large-scale syndicated visitor research quarterly since 1990.

In 2007, our proprietary Longwoods Travel USA® program was migrated from mail to online, with the benefits of rapid turnaround, enhanced flexibility and interactivity, as well as greater respondent involvement.

It is currently the largest ongoing study conducted of American travelers, providing our clients with more reliable data and greater ability to home in on key market segments of interest.

This report provides an overview for Virginia Beach’s domestic tourism business in 2017.

3

The visitor research program is designed to provide:

Estimates of domestic overnight and day visitor volumes to Virginia Beach.

A profile of Virginia Beach’s performance within its overnight travel market.

Domestic visitor expenditures in Virginia Beach.

Profiles of Virginia Beach’s day travel market.

Relevant trends in each of these areas.

4

Each quarter, a random, projectable sample of adult members (18 years of age and over) of a major U.S. consumer panel is invited to participate in the Travel USA® survey: Selected to be representative of the U.S. adult population

For the 2017 travel year, this yielded : 329,470 trips for analysis nationally:

232,317 overnight trips

97,153 day trips

For Virginia Beach, the following sample was achieved in 2017: 1,220 trips:

925 overnight trips

295 day trips

For analysis, data were weighted on key demographics to correct for any differences between the sample and U.S. population targets.

5

Key Findings

In 2017, Virginia Beach welcomed 19 million visitors, an increase of 7% from 2016. Of these trips, 10.1 million or 53% were overnight trips. The rest were day trips.

The overnight trips generated $1.92 billion in visitor spending, up 6% from 2016.

The vast majority of overnight trips to Virginia Beach were leisure trips --visits to friends and relatives (41%) or “marketable” trips, i.e., discretionary leisure trips that can be influenced by marketing efforts (49%). The remainder of trips were divided between business trips (8%) and trips combining business and leisure purposes (2%)

For overnight trips, the top state markets for Virginia Beach visitors were Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Among DMAs, the top three visitor sources were Washington DC, New York City, and Norfolk.

7

Trips to Virginia Beach are planned further in advance than the averagetrip nationwide. Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of Virginia Beach overnight trips in2017 were planned 2 months or more before the trip. And 1 in 10 (10%)had no advance planning at all. This compares with national norms of51% and 14%, respectively.

Online travel agencies, accommodations, and advice from relatives orfriends were the most common information sources people used to plantheir Virginia Beach overnight trip in 2017. Accommodations online travelagencies were also the sources people most often used for booking travel.

Of the overnight visitors, 75% had visited Virginia Beach at least oncebefore. Half (50%) had visited in the past year.

8

The average length of time people spent in Virginia Beach on an overnight trip was 2.8 nights., about the same as in 2016. The average travel party size was 3.1 persons, consisting of 2.3 adults and .8 children.

About three-quarters (77%) of overnight Virginia Beach travelers arrived by personal car or truck, and 16% rented a car while there. Only 1 in 10 flew to Virginia Beach.

The top activities and experiences that visitors engaged in on overnight trips to Virginia Beach included swimming and other beach/waterfront activities, shopping, fine dining, and visiting a landmark or historic site.

Three-quarters (76%) of Virginia Beach visitors were very satisfied with their overall trip experience.

9

Size & Structure of the U.S. Travel Market

1,480 1,532 1,568 1,585 1,618

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Milli

ons

of T

rips

2.1%Base: Overnight Person-Trips

11

Visits to Friends/Relatives

43%

Marketable43%Business

10%

Business-Leisure4%

Base: Overnight Person-Trips

12

13

2

5

<1

3

2

-5 0 5

All Overnight Trips

Visiting Friends/Relatives

Marketable Trips

Business-Leisure Trips

Business Trips

Percent Change


Size & Structure of Virginia Beach’s

Domestic Travel Market

Total Person-Trips = 19.0 Million

Day Trips47%

Overnight Trips53%

10.1 Million

8.9 Million

+7% vs. 2016

15

8.4 8.6 8.79.6 10.1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Mill

ions

of T

rips

+3% +9%+-1% +2%


16

+5%

6.9 7.2 7.58.1

8.9

0

5

10

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Mill

ions

of T

rips

Base: Day Person-Trips

17

+5% +9%+1% +4% +9%

Total Overnight Person-Trips = 10.1 Million

Adults73%

Children27%

2.7 Million

7.4 Million

18

VFR49%

Marketable43%

Business5%

Business-Leisure

3%

3.6 Million

3.2 Million0.4 Million

0.2 Million

Adult Overnight Person-Trips = 7.4 Million

19

Total Day Person-Trips = 8.9 Million

Adults72%

Children28%

2.5 Million

6.4 Million

20

VFR41%

Marketable49%

Business8%

Business-Leisure2%

3.1 Million0.5 Million

0.1 Million

Adult Day Person-Trips = 6.4 Million

2.7 Million

21

Overnight Trip Expenditures

in Virginia Beach

$1.36 $1.46 $1.55$1.81 $1.92

$0.0

$0.5

$1.0

$1.5

$2.0

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Bill

ions

of D

olla

rs


23

+7% +17%-4% +6% +6%

Total Spending = $1.92 Billion

Lodging46%

Restaurant Food & Beverage

22%

Retail14%Recreation

10%

Transportation8%

$889 Million

$163 Million

$187 Million$262 Million

$420 Million

+6% vs. 2017

24

$163 $170 $177 $190 $191

0

50

100

150

200

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Dol

lars


25

$88

$42$26 $19 $16

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Lodging Restaurant Food &Beverage

Retail Purchases Recreation/Sightseeing/

Entertainment

Transportation atDestination

Dol

lars


26

Total = $191 Per Person

$272

$129$80

$57 $500

50

100

150

200

250

300

Lodging Restaurant Food &Beverage


Entertainment


Dol

lars


27

Total = $588 Per Party

18

29

33

20

0 10 20 30 40

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

Percent


28

29

Total Trips (millions) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2012 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.6 1.2 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5

2013 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.1 1.4 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.4

2014 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.4 1.0 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.4

2015 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.9 1.3 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.5

2016 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.5

2017 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.7 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.5

Overnight TripCharacteristics

49

16

9

6

5

3

2

1

1

4

1

3

0 10 20 30 40 50

Visiting friends/relativesResort

TouringSpecial event

OutdoorsTheme park

City tripGolf Trip

Other

Other business tripConference/Convention

Business-leisure

Percent

MarketableTrips43%


31

49

16

9

6

5

3

2

1

1

43

5

9

8

6

4

5

1

6

0 10 20 30 40 50

Visiting friends/relatives Resort

Touring Special event

Outdoors Theme park

City tripGolf Trip

Other

Percent

Virginia Beach U.S. Norm


32

49

16

9

6

5

3

2

1

1

43

14

10

6

4

3

6

<1

3

0 10 20 30 40 50

Visiting friends/relativesResort

TouringSpecial event

OutdoorsTheme park

City tripGolf Trip

Other

Percent

2017 2016


33

1

4

4

7

0 2 4 6 8

Conference/Convention

Other business trip

Percent



34

1

4

4

6

0 2 4 6


Other business trip

Percent2017 2016


35

36

States contributing 5% or moreStates contributing 3% - 5%DMA’s contributing more than 2%


28

12

8

7

7

4

4

4

3

0 10 20 30

Virginia

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

Maryland

New York

California

Ohio

Florida

New Jersey

Percent


37

14

8

6

6

5

4

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

2

0 5 10 15

Washington, DCNew York, NY/NJ/PA/CT

Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA/NCRichmond-Petersburg-Charlottesville,VA

Raleigh-Durham, NCRoanoke-Lynchburg, VA

Baltimore, MDPhiladelphia, PA

Charlotte, NCPittsburgh, PA

Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PABoston, MA

Greenville-New Bern-Washington, NCWilkes Barre-Scranton, PA

Percent


38


39

18

29

33

20

0 10 20 30 40

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

Percent

76

68

64

64

60

60

59

54

49

73

63

63

62

61

55

51

0 20 40 60 80

Overall trip experienceQuality of food

Friendliness of peopleSafety & Security*

Sightseeing/ attractionsQuality of accomodations

Cleanliness*Value for the money

Music/ nightlife/ entertainment

Percent

2017 2016

40


* Added in 2017

75

50

79

65

0 20 40 60 80

Ever

Past 12Months*

Percent2017 2016

41


* Question wording changed in 2017

2

18

19

19

32

10

4

14

17

16

35

14

0 10 20 30 40

More than 1 year in advance

6-12 months

3-5 months

2 months

1 month or less

Did not plan anything in advance

Percent



42

18

16

16

11

10

9

8

6

5

15

15

13

10

9

6

9

6

10

0 5 10 15 20

Online travel agenciesHotel or resort

Advice from relatives or friendsSocial Media

Destination websitesAuto club/AAA

Travel company websitesTravel agent/company

Airline/commercial carrier

Percent



43

5

4

3

2

2

2

1

1

1

4

4

3

2

1

2

1

1

<1

0 5 10 15 20

Travel guide/other booksLodging sharing websites (AirBnB, VRBO, etc.)

Visitors' bureau/gov tourism officeMagazine articles/ad

TV program/ad800/888 number

Newspaper articles/adRadio show/ad

Travel/ski show or exhibition

Percent



44

18

17

9

7

6

6

4

4

2

1

1

18

15

9

12

4

6

4

4

3

1

1

0 5 10 15 20

Hotel or resortOnline travel agencies

Travel company websitesAirline/commercial carrier

Auto club/AAATravel agent/company

Destination websitesLodging sharing websites (AirBnB, VRBO, etc.)

800/888 numberTravel/ski show or exhibition

Visitors' bureau/gov tourism office

Percent



45

85

45

39

35

16

84

45

38

34

16

0 20 40 60 80 100

Used Any Device (net)

Laptop

Desktop/Home computer

Smartphone

Tablet

PercentVirginia Beach U.S. Norm


46

88

76

34

30

85

71

31

27

0 20 40 60 80 100

Used Any Device (net)

Smartphone

Laptop

Tablet

Percent



47

15

27

30

13

12

3

22

27

27

11

10

3

0 10 20 30 40

1

2

3-4

5-6

7-13

14+


Average Virginia Beach3.9 nights

Average U.S. Norm3.7 nights

48


36

27

21

9

7

0 10 20 30 40

1 night

2 nights

3-4 nights

5-6 nights

7 + nights

Percent

Average Nights Spent in Virginia Beach = 2.8

Base: Overnight Person-Trips with 1+ Nights Spent In Virginia Beach

49

36

27

21

9

7

39

25

21

8

7

0 10 20 30 40

1 night

2 nights

3-4 nights

5-6 nights

7 + nights

Percent

2017 2016

Average 2017 = 2.8 nights2016 = 2.8 nights

Base: Overnight Person-Trips with 1+ Nights Spent In Virginia Beach

50

2.3

2.2

0.8

0.6

0 1 2 3 4

VirginiaBeach

U.S. Norm

Average Number of People

Adults Children

Total = 2.8


51

Total = 3.1


52

61

45

15

15

14

14

2

2

65

35

17

25

12

11

2

3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Spouse/partner

Child(ren)

Friend(s)

Just myself/traveled alone

Other relative(s)

Parent(s)

Grandparent(s)

Business associate(s)

Percent


77

16

12

6

6

4

3

2

1

68

17

23

10

5

7

4

2

1

0 20 40 60 80

Own car/truck Rental car

PlaneOnline taxi service (Uber, Lyft, etc.)

BusTaxi cab

Train Camper, R.V

Bicycle



53

29

22

21

16

6

5

5

4

3

3

2

2

26

23

19

15

4

3

6

4

2

4

3

2

0 10 20 30

Home of Friend/RelativeHotel

Resort hotelMotel

Bed & BreakfastTime Share

Other Rented home/condo/apartment

Country Inn/Lodge Campground/trailer park/RV parkOwn Home/Condo/Apt/2nd Home

Rented Cottage/Cabin



54

41

38

27

22

16

15

14

12

11

8

7

15

32

15

20

14

15

11

10

7

4

8

0 10 20 30 40

BeachShopping

SwimmingFine Dining

Landmark/Historic SiteBar/Disco

MuseumNational/State Park

Theme ParkWaterpark

Hiking/Backpacking

Percent



55

7

7

7

7

6

6

6

5

4

4

4

4

3

4

6

4

4

5

4

6

5

3

0 10 20 30 40

Fair/Exhibition/FestivalBiking

ZooTheater

SpaWineryFishingDance

BreweryArt Gallery

Golf

Percent



56

4

4

3

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

4

3

4

2

5

9

4

2

2

2

0 10 20 30 40

Boating/SailingRock/Pop Concert

CampingYouth/Teen Sports Event

Business MeetingCasino

Conference/ConventionKids Sports Event

Mountain ClimbingAdult Amateur Sports Event

Percent



57

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

0 10 20 30 40

Pro/College SportsBirding

Visited American Indian CommunityEducational Seminar

SymphonyTennisRaftingOpera

HuntingSkiing/Snowboarding

Percent



58

23

17

8

7

5

5

4

4

2

2

2

20

16

10

5

4

3

6

4

2

2

1

0 10 20 30

Historic PlacesCultural Activities/Attractions

Exceptional Culinary ExperiencesWinery Tours/Tasting

Traveling with GrandchildrenEco-Tourism

Brewery Tours/Beer TastingWedding

AgritourismReligious TravelMedical Tourism



59

69

32

26

26

24

13

12

10

10

68

34

24

28

22

11

11

11

13

0 20 40 60 80

Used any social media for travel

Posted travel photos/video onlineLooked at travel photos/video online

Read travel reviewsAccessed travel news/events/deals/promotions

Connected with others interested in travelGot travel advice

Contributed travel reviewsRead a travel blog

Percent



60

69

10

10

7

4

3

68

9

8

7

5

3

0 20 40 60 80


"Followed" a destination/attraction

Gave travel advice

Tweeted about a trip

Subscribed to a travel e-newsletter

Blogged about a trip

Percent



61

69

32

26

26

24

13

12

10

10

82

39

28

29

22

16

15

13

15

0 20 40 60 80 100



Read travel reviewsAccessed travel news/events/deals/promotions

Connected with others interested in travelGot travel advice

Contributed travel reviewsRead a travel blog

Percent

2017 2016


62

69

10

10

7

4

3

82

14

14

13

8

7

0 20 40 60 80 100



Gave travel advice




Percent

2017 2016


63

64

40

21

6

1

42

21

3

2

0 10 20 30 40 50

AAA

AARP

National Motor Club

Better World Club

Percent



Demographic Profile of Overnight Visitors

66

47

53

49

51

0 20 40 60

Male

Female

Percent



67

15

24

20

17

13

11

13

20

18

18

15

16

0 10 20 30 40

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+


Average Virginia Beach = 42.4

Average U.S. Norm = 45.0


68

60

28

12

60

26

14

0 25 50 75

Married/with partner

Single/never married

Divorced/widowed/separated



16

32

21

17

14

23

35

17

14

11

0 10 20 30 40

1 member

2 members

3 members

4 members

5+ members

Percent



69

70

46

26

24

22

57

19

21

17

0 20 40 60

No children under 18

Any child between 13-17


Any child under 6

Percent



71

21

37

25

17

<1

23

41

23

12

1

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post-graduate

College graduate

Some college

High school or less

Other

Percent



72

52

9

39

55

9

36

0 20 40 60

Full time/ self-employed

Part time

Not employed/retired/ other

Percent



73

3

12

17

23

45

6

15

16

23

40

0 10 20 30 40 50

$150K+

$100-$149.9K

$75-$99.9K

$50-$74.9K

<$49.9K

Percent



70

20

10

83

7

10

0 20 40 60 80 100

White

African-American

Other

Percent



74

75

93

7

91

9

0 20 40 60 80 100

No

Yes

Percent



Day Trip Expenditures

$410 $437 $459 $506 $539

$0

$200

$400

$600

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Hun

dred

s of

Mill

ions

of D

olla

rs


77

+7% +10%+1% +5% +7%

78

Total Spending = $539 Million

Restaurant Food & Beverage

37%Retail28%

Recreation18%

Transportation17%

$200 Million

$92 Million $99 Million

$148 Million

+7% vs. 2016

$60 $61 $61 $62 $60

0

50

100

150

200

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Dol

lars


79


$22$17

$11 $10

0

10

20

30

Restaurant Food &Beverage


Entertainment


Dol

lars

80

Total = $60 Per Person

$63

$46

$31 $29

0

20

40

60

80

Restaurant Food &Beverage


Entertainment


Dol

lars


81

Total = $169 Per Party

Day Trip Characteristics

41

10

10

8

6

6

6

2

1

5

3

2

0 10 20 30 40

Visiting friends/relativesTouringResort

Special eventShoppingOutdoors

City tripTheme park

Other

Other business tripConference/convention

Business-leisure

Percent

MarketableTrips49%


83

41

10

10

8

6

6

6

2

1

38

12

2

8

8

7

8

3

4

0 10 20 30 40

Visiting friends/relatives Touring Resort

Special eventShopping Outdoors

City trip Theme park

Other

Percent



84

41

10

10

8

6

6

6

2

1

42

13

9

4

6

7

6

2

2

0 10 20 30 40

Visiting friends/relativesTouringResort

Special eventShoppingOutdoors

City tripTheme park

Other

Percent2017 2016


85

3

5

2

6

0 2 4 6 8


Other business trip

Percent



86

3

5

2

3

0 2 4 6


Other business trip

Percent

2017 2016


87

88

States contributing 5% or moreStates contributing 3% - 5%DMA’s contributing more than 2%


56

16

7

3

3

2

2

2

1

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

VirginiaNorth Carolina

New YorkPennsylvania

New JerseyMarylandCalifornia

FloridaOhio

South Carolina

Percent


89

24

15

14

7

6

6

2

2

2

0 10 20 30

Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA/NCWashington, DC

Richmond-Petersburg-Charlottesville,VARaleigh-Durham, NC

Roanoke-Lynchburg, VANew York, NY/NJ/PA/CT

Greensboro-H. Point-W. Salem, NCPhiladelphia, PA

Harrisonburg, WV

Percent


90


91

26

25

28

21

0 10 20 30

January-March

April-June

July-September

October-December

Percent

2.0

2.1

0.7

0.6

0 1 2 3 4

Virginia Beach

U.S. Norm

Average Number of People

Adults Children

Total = 2.7


92

Total = 2.7


93

60

50

20

16

11

5

3

2

62

38

22

17

10

11

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Spouse/partner

Child(ren)

Just myself/traveled alone

Friend(s)

Parent(s)

Other relative(s)

Business associate(s)

Grandparent(s)

Percent


34

26

18

17

10

9

7

6

6

6

7

26

11

5

5

5

7

3

8

6

0 10 20 30 40

BeachShopping

Fine DiningSwimming

Theme ParkBar/Nightclub

MuseumFishing

Landmark/Historic SiteNational/State Park



94

5

5

4

4

4

4

3

2

2

2

3

3

3

2

6

4

4

2

1

2

0 10 20 30 40

Art GalleryTheater

Business MeetingDance

Hiking/BackpackingFair/Exhibition/Festival

ZooWaterpark

Kids' Sports EventGolf



95

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

6

1

1

0

1

0 10 20 30 40

SpaWinery

Conference/ConventionCamping

Boating/SailingCasino

Mountain ClimbingAdult Amateur Sports

GlampingTrade Show



96

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

2

1

1

1

0

0

1

0

1

0 10 20 30 40

BreweryRock/Pop Concert

BikingEducational Seminar

Motorcycle TouringRaftingOpera

Visited American Indian CommunityDude Ranch

Youth/Teen Sports Event



97

16

14

7

6

5

5

4

3

2

2

1

16

12

6

4

3

3

4

2

2

2

2

0 10 20

Historic PlacesCultural Activities/Attractions

Exceptional Culinary ExperiencesWinery Tours/Wine Tasting

Eco-TourismTraveling with GrandchildrenBrewery Tours/Beer Tasting

WeddingReligious Travel

AgritourismMedical Tourism

Percent



98

77

35

28

27

26

17

15

12

66

31

25

22

26

13

11

11

0 20 40 60 80



Accessed travel news/events/deals/promotionsRead travel reviews

Read a travel blogGot travel advice

Connected with others interested in travel


99


77

12

12

11

8

7

5

66

7

9

6

9

3

5

0 20 40 60 80


Gave travel advice



Contributed travel reviews




100


77

35

28

27

26

17

15

12

84

34

28

24

32

15

21

20

0 20 40 60 80 100



Accessed travel news/events/deals/promotionsRead travel reviews

Read a travel blogGot travel advice

Connected with others interested in travel

Percent

2017 2016


101

77

12

12

11

8

7

5

84

16

16

17

14

9

6

0 20 40 60 80 100


Gave travel advice"Followed" a destination/attraction

Tweeted about a tripContributed travel reviews

Blogged about a tripSubscribed to a travel e-newsletter

Percent

2017 2016


102

40

15

8

2

38

19

2

1

0 15 30 45

AAA

AARP

National Motor Club

Better World Club


103


Demographic Profile of Day

Visitors

105

51

49

47

53

0 20 40 60

Male

Female

Percent



20

25

26

13

9

7

12

20

19

19

15

15

0 10 20 30 40

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+


Average Virginia Beach = 38.8

Average U.S. Norm = 45.1


106

107

56

31

13

58

26

16

0 20 40 60

Married/ with partner

Single/never married

Divorced/widowed/separated

Percent



108

17

30

20

21

12

22

34

18

15

11

0 10 20 30 40

1 member

2 members

3 members

4 members

5+ members

Percent



109

43

27

27

22

56

20

22

17

0 20 40 60

No children under 18



Any child under 6

Percent



110

15

40

27

18

<1

19

40

24

16

1

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post-graduate

College graduate

Some college

High school or less

Other

Percent



111

59

8

33

51

9

40

0 20 40 60

Full-time/self-employed

Part-time

Not employed/retired/ other

Percent



112

3

10

13

19

55

4

12

14

22

48

0 20 40 60

$150K+

$100-$149.9K

$75-$99.9K

$50-$74.9K

<$49.9K

Percent



113

74

14

12

83

7

10

0 20 40 60 80 100

White

African-American

Other

Percent



114

92

8

91

9

0 20 40 60 80 100

No

Yes

Percent



Appendix A:Key Terms Defined

An Overnight Trip is any journey for business or pleasure, outside your community and not part of your normal routine, where you spent one more nights away from home.

A Day Trip is any journey for business or pleasure, outside your community and not part of your normal routine, that did not include an overnight stay. Day trips involve travel of more than 50 miles from home.

A Person-Trip is one trip taken by one visitor.

Person-trips are the key unit of measure for this report.

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Leisure Trips: Include all trips where the main purpose was one of the following:

Visiting friends/relatives

Touring through a region to experience its scenic beauty, history and culture

Outdoors trip to enjoy activities such as camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and boating

Special event, such as a fair, festival, or sports event

City trip

Cruise

Casino

Theme park

Resort (ocean beach, inland or mountain resort)

Skiing/snowboarding

Golf

Business Trips:

Conference/convention

Other business trip

Business-Leisure: a trip for business where, on the same trip, the visitor stayed for at least one additional day to experience the same place or nearby area simply for leisure.

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Marketable Trips:Include all leisure trips, with the exception ofvisits to friends/relatives

Total Trips = Leisure + Business + Business-Leisure

Appendix B:How Visitation to Virginia

Beach is Calculated

The Virginia Beach CVB’s visitation research provider, Longwoods International, is a leading international hospitality research firm headquartered in Toronto. The Longwoods Travel USA® program is currently the largest ever ongoing survey of American leisure and business travel. Virginia Beach visitors were identified using Longwoods’ Travel USA®, our syndicated study of American travel behavior:

Each quarter, a random, projectable sample of adult members (18 years of age and over) of a major U.S. consumer panel is invited to participate in the Travel USA®survey. They are selected to be representative of the U.S. adult population

In 2017, for example, Longwoods collected data on 329,470 trips for analysis nationally, comprised of 232,317 overnight trips and 97,153 day trips.:

Destination detail includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia, selected U.S. cities and regions, and foreign destinations.

While acknowledged to be estimates, Longwoods data is accepted globally throughout the hospitality industry as accurate and authoritative. And since the company’s data is so widely used and calculated consistently across clients, Virginia Beach data can be accurately compared with other destinations. When we present our Longwoods reports to hotel companies, hospitality consultants, developers and other interested private-sector entities, they are not questioned.

119

In the main report. We present visitation data from Longwoods’ Travel USA® for the 5 years from 2013 through 2017. Full-year, citywide overnight visitation is reported to us in “overnight person-trips,” which is defined as an adult or child staying overnight in any location – in Virginia Beach or in some other destination – but still visiting Virginia Beach at some point. All types of visitation are counted.

Longwoods further estimates that Virginia Beach captures about 7 in 10 of these adults and children (74% in 2017) who stayed in some type of overnight accommodation, including private residences, military accommodations, rental homes, hotels, motels, condos, time shares, campgrounds, etc. So these 74% are, in fact, all overnight visitors to Virginia Beach. Of these people, 64% in 2017 stayed in a hotel or motel. Thus, for the past 5 years, Longwoods estimated data for Virginia Beach shows:

Total Overnight Overnight Visitors Hotel Or MotelVB Person-Trips In VB ____ In VB__

2013 8.4 million 5.9 million 3.6 million





120

Additional and more complicated calculations could be applied to the second and third column values to estimate actual room nights by commercial accommodation type, but this would require precise unit rental information, party size information, and length of stay information across all accommodation types during all 12 months of the year. We do not have this information at this time.

Longwoods International also estimates day visitors to Virginia Beach. A day visitor is someone who doesn’t spend a night away from home and whose residence is located more than 50 miles away from Virginia Beach, so “locals” are not counted. The day visitors, adults and children, for the past 5 years are reported to be:

2013 6.9 million

2014 7.2 million

2015 7.5 million

2016 8.1 million

2017 8.9 million

121

Finally, estimates for the main purpose of visit for adults only, expressed as a percentage of total, are provided below as well as in the main part of the report. For the past 5 years, these values are:

CombinedLeisure Trip Business Trip Business-Leisure

2013 88% 7% 4%

2014 89% 7% 4%

2015 90% 7% 3%

2016 89% 7% 4%

2017 92% 5% 3%

122

Documents

Virginia Beach 2017 Visitor Research - VBgov.com · 2019-01-30 · and interactivity, as well as greater respondent involvement. It is currently the largest ongoing study conducted