VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The 16-month state of emergency in Virginia is set to wrap up at the end of June.
With COVID-19 restrictions already lifted in the Commonwealth, it will mark a much-needed restart for the tourism and hospitality industry.
It usually brings in $28 billion in revenue during a normal year, but because of the pandemic, that number was cut in half.
“Through the first quarter of this year we’ve lost $14 billion,” said Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association.
That's why the Virginia Tourism Corporation is asking the General Assembly for $275 million to help the industry rebound. Fifty million would go to local tourism offices for marketing, as many of them are facing multi-year budget cuts.
“You see the ads for other locations hitting the airwaves,” said Terry. “Virginia needs to keep up.”
In Hampton Roads, 18% of jobs in the tourism industry were lost because of the pandemic.
While Terry said cities like Virginia Beach were rebounding faster than most, the city hasn’t been able to skirt a problem affecting the entire country – labor shortages, especially in lodging.
“They are struggling for staff,” said Terry. “Some of our hotels aren’t able to fill all their rooms because they don’t have the staff.”