THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507210231
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
There's a little bit more to the story regarding Holidays at the Beach than came across in the Beacon's June 30 article.
The Resort Area Advisory Commission, and perhaps City Council, are acutely aware that much stronger retail and food sales in the resort area in the off season are extremely important. The strong-er off-season sales become, the lower prices in our summer peak season can be. We currently have very little resort area business during the Holidays at the Beach time period.
Holidays at the Beach is one of many steps to strengthen the appeal to residents and tourists of resort area shopping and restauranting. The family income of our visitors has risen dramatically in the past three or four years, in direct response to the improved appearance and amenities at the Oceanfront, but they leave behind a disproportionately small amount of retail and food ex-pend-i-tures.
The Resort Area Advisory Commission has focused for 10 years on improving the appearance, enjoyment and economics of resort-area and resort businesses for all the residents of Virginia Beach. Holidays at the Beach is a major investment which has been well researched, both by the initiating committee and city staff.
We hope that the Holidays at the Beach lighting and activities enable the private sector, the city and Cellar Door, which has the Beach events contract, to build a series of activities and attractions at the beach from October through April that will re-establish the Oceanfront as a place for fun, excitement and rec-re-a-tion for all of Hampton Roads.
As with the amphitheater, the Marine Science Museum and the extremely successful Oceanfront cafe program, Holidays at the Beach is the highest quality we can possibly make it and offers every expectation of paying back the investment within the projected four years and providing revenues to the city treasury after that.
A previous article regarding the resort area improvement and the Tourism Growth and Investment Fund contained a small error. While we have resort-business interests on the Resort Area Advisory Commission, at least half the members, such as I, have no business interests in the resort area but represent the entire city.
Roger F. Newill, AIA
Chairman, Resort Area Advisory Commission by CNB