THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 1996 TAG: 9602140429
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
If you're looking for a group travel destination within driving distance, look no farther.
Virginia has three.
Byways magazine lists two cities in Hampton Roads and the state capital among the top 50 bus tour destinations in 1996.
According to the publication's latest survey, the Old Dominion still attracts plenty of visitors fascinated with its early colonial roots and other historic ties, including the birthplace of three American presidents and ties to the antebellum South.
Williamsburg and Virginia Beach ranked among the top 50 cities most visited by charter and tour operators' clients, according to the publication's second annual report. Williamsburg was the 7th most popular spot for tour group travel and Virginia Beach ranked 20th, ahead of Seattle, Portland and Atlantic City.
That's because Hampton Roads offers visitors ``diversity,'' said Gwen Elmore, president and general manager of Norfolk-based Fun Tours Inc., a 14-year-old company that organizes 300 group tours a year.
When asked what attracted people here, she answered, ``The historical elements certainly. The beautiful harbor in Norfolk and the beautiful oceanfront. Not everyone has a waterfront.
``The waterways, the entertainment around the waterways and the historical elements bring a lot of people to this area. And the weather.''
Colonial Williamsburg spokesman Patrick Saylor described the adult tour group business - Williamsburg hosted 1,500 such groups in 1995 - as ``a volatile market.''
``But we expect to hold our own,'' he said, although he added that Colonial Williamsburg draws more school groups than adult tours. Colonial Williamsburg expects 20,000 students next month compared with the 14,000 that visited in March 1995.
Virginia Beach hosted 794 overnight tour groups in 1995, a 9.2 percent increase since 1992. Last year, overnight tour groups generated more than $8 million, according to Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitors Development estimates.
``This is a very lucrative market,'' said Ron Kuhlman, director of marketing and sales for the Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitors Development. ``Each motorcoach brings in nearly 40 visitors, who in turn frequent our hotels, attractions, restaurants and retail stores.''
Virginia Beach gained recognition not only for being a recreational beach and family vacation spot but as ``an ideal hub destination for regional tours that include Williamsburg, Norfolk and North Carolina.''
Compiled by a survey of National Motorcoach Network carriers, the bi-monthly magazine's second annual poll listed Branson, Mo.; Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Washington D.C., as the most popular cities for bus tours or charter groups.
In addition to the two Hampton Roads cities, Richmond scored the No. 36 spot in the survey.
The results came from a poll of charter and tour departments of National Motorcoach Network affiliates, a consortium of independent bus tour operators, in North America. Network carriers own more than 2,000 motorcoaches and transport more than 20 million passengers in charters and tours annually. ILLUSTRATION: Top bus tour group destinations
1. Branson, Mo.
2. Myrtle Beach, S.C.
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Nashville, Tenn.
5. New York City
6. Orlando, Fla.
7. Williamsburg
8. Quebec-Montreal
9. Chicago
10. Las Vegas, Nev.
20. Virginia Beach
36. Richmond
KEYWORDS: TOURISM by CNB