THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607040543
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 61 lines
After a slow start to the summer tourist season due to cool, rainy weather and school closing delays up north, the regional travel industry is looking forward to a strong July and August.
Hotels along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront are reporting healthy bookings for the long July 4 weekend. If the forecast for warm, sunny weather holds, walk-in traffic could come close to filling resort vacancies.
Still, merchants need that trend to continue beyond the holiday weekend.
``Every day is important now, not just the 4th of July,'' said Henry Richardson, Virginia Beach Hotel and Motel Association president.
Retailers and theme parks are also expecting - and hoping for - a busy summer.
``Things are picking up nicely,'' said Michael Lagiglia, Virginia Beach Resort Retailers Association president and operator of Beach Bumper Boats. ``We're expecting that from this point on we'll be going great guns.
``We got off to a real slow start,'' said Ed Dreistadt, spokesman for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. ``Now all of a sudden it seems everything is breaking loose and going crazy.''
Business was dampened in June by wet weather and the loss of family vacationers due to late school closings. The harsh winter forced schools to close so many days that the school year was extended through the end of June in some Northeast cities.
The result is a mixed bag, hoteliers said. Some report that occupancies were down last month, others were flat, and a few were up slightly.
Businesses hope those families will still come.
``We've got a tight, compressed season,'' Dreistadt said. ``They're coming, but they're coming in a tighter window than they usually do.''
While the late school closings eroded the traditional tourist season this year, school calendars over the past several years have been lengthening.
``It's become an axiom in recent years that the summer season doesn't start until July 4 in terms of family vacations,'' said Martha Steger, spokeswoman for the Virginia Division of Tourism.
Despite the slow start, there have been some positive indicators.
Canadian visitors have returned this year after a brief hiatus because of the poor exchange rate last summer, said Richard P. Anoia, chairman of the Resort Leadership Council and operator of the Windjammer Motel in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach's newly expanded Virginia Marine Science Museum, which opened June 15, has posted record attendance. Last Sunday, the museum eclipsed its single-day record by 2,000, with about 6,000 visitors passing through the doors, said Mary Beth Heine, marketing director. Attendance was 22,000 during the opening week.
Another big draw is the new Virginia Beach Amphitheater. Resort area hoteliers said they are getting inquiries from vacationers about returning for future concerts there.
And the Convention and Visitor Development office in Virginia Beach reports that bookings at the resort from January to May increased 3 percent over last year. The numbers are not yet available for June.
``We hope the trend will stay strong and positive,'' Anoia said. ``But I think there are some gaps in there and some opportunities to improve.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Fireworks by CNB