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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Warner hears about challenges to Oceanfront economy
VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) listened Friday morning to the challenges facing restaurants, hotels and attractions that make up the local tourism economy as part of a roundtable discussion on the stage of the city's newest attraction, The Dome. Previously: Virginia Beach tourism fuels $3.8 billion into local economy, report finds The head of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, John Zirkle, reminded Warner about a successful Memorial Day weekend, with on tap this weekend, and the the following weekend. It highlighted a subsegment of Oceanfront tourism — sports tourism. 'This whole notion of sports tourism didn't exist 20 years ago,' Warner told the panel and about 100 invited guests. Mike Mauch, head of the , made his pitch to Warner. 'If there's any possible way to find funding mechanisms to help us to provide an even more broad spectrum of sports tourism, that would benefit the entire city,' Mauch said. Zirkle cited 2023 figures, the latest available, about tourism overall: 14.1 million visitors to Virginia Beach with an economic impact of $3.8 billion. However, he said tariffs are making towels, sheets and blankets more and more expensive. 'We need some help with getting the tariffs under control,' Zirkle said. 'The back and forth is causing huge delays in shipping. It's causing huge price increases.' And then there's an 80% funding cut for what's known as , the marketing of destinations in the U.S. to international tourists. 'As we look at international travel declining, whether it's Canadian or other countries that are off, it's really important that we get that [funding] back,' said Eric Terry, head of the . North End native and landscape architect Billy Almond of the Resort Advisory Commission talked about resiliency. 'In my lifetime, I have seen the beach change dramatically,' he said. 'All the sand that we put at the south end is on 89th Street. We have a huge resource that needs to be studied and protected.' 'That's something I can take on,' Warner told reporters afterward. 'Unfortunately, there are efforts in Washington right now to cut out all resiliency funds. That makes no sense. If the beach erodes away, then a lot of this economy is going to be in real trouble.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Malay Mail
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Like Riding Through a Masterpiece: Over 2,000 Cyclists Chase Their Dreams in Changping!
On May 18, the final race day of the 2025 China Road Cycling League (Beijing Changping) and the Changping International Road Cycling Challenge took place. On May 18, the final race day of the 2025 China Road Cycling League (Beijing Changping) and the Changping International Road Cycling Challenge took place. BEIJING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 19 May 2025 - On May 18, the final race day of the 2025 China Road Cycling League (Beijing Changping) and the Changping International Road Cycling Challenge took place. More than 2,000 professional cyclists and enthusiasts gathered in Changping to compete in the men's, women's, and mass-participation individual races along a scenic cycling route that seemed like a living a pioneering event that blends a national-level cycling league with locally inspired races, this successful gathering marks a milestone in Changping's pursuit of becoming the "Beijing Cycling Demonstration Zone." Jointly hosted by the Chinese Cycling Association and the Changping District People's Government, with support from the Changping District Sports Bureau, the event aims to use competitive sports as a bridge to connect the district's ecological landscapes and cultural heritage, setting a new benchmark for the integrated development of "sports + cultural tourism."At 8:30 a.m., the sound of a whistle signaled the official start of the race. Participants in each category dashed from the starting line, chasing the wind and their dreams amid Changping's natural beauty, reveling in the joy of sport. Crowds lined the route, cheering enthusiastically for the riders and creating a vibrant, electric day's route extended up to 181.1 kilometers. Riders in the men's, women's, and amateur races set off from the Nanshao Cultural Plaza in Changping and battled along a course that spanned eight towns and subdistricts. The route passed through key roads such as Chaoxin Road, East Reservoir Road, Chichang Road, Huaichang Road, Wangbai Road, and Taoxia Road, linking riverside scenery, tree-lined tunnels, terraced hillsides adorned with wildflowers, and fragrant orchards. It was hailed as a "mobile exhibition gallery" of Changping's all-encompassing cultural and tourism experience. While cyclists enjoyed the sweeping views of Changping's natural beauty at full speed, spectators along the route immersed themselves in the region's cultural charm through themed tourism to reports, the event lasted four days starting from May 15. In the earlier stages, the men's and women's individual time trials, as well as the mixed team time trial, took place in Liucun Town. The race course, designed to wind through the mountainous terrain of Liucun, started at Liucun Primary School and passed by the shimmering waters of Wangjiayuan Reservoir, the ancient charm of Baiyangcheng Village, and the lush landscapes of the "Hundred-Mile Corridor." As the cyclists raced through these areas, they were treated to a poetic panorama of the countryside on the outskirts of urban circuit elimination race for amateur riders was set along the "Round Ming Tombs Reservoir" route. This course blended the lush mountains of the Yanshan range, the sparkling waters of the reservoir, and the profound cultural heritage of the Ming Tombs. It offered participants an immersive experience of Changping's unique identity as a place of "mountains, waters, city, and tombs."The cycling race served not only as a platform for cyclist competition, but also as a key branding event to boost the integration of culture, tourism, and sports in the Changping region. With more than 3,000 participants in total, the event marked a major initiative in Changping's efforts to establish itself as a "cycling-friendly city." It also served as a vivid example of integrated development across sectors such as culture, tourism, agriculture, business, and 48.7% of its territory covered in forest and over 60% designated as mountainous, Changping offers an ideal terrain for cycling events. In recent years, the district has proposed a strategic goal of becoming a "Beijing Cycling Demonstration Zone," integrating road accessibility, facility friendliness, industry support, cultural integration, and service excellence into the urban development its outstanding geographical resources, Changping has developed a "one-horizontal and four-vertical" cycling route network. It has introduced routes such as the Ming Tombs Reservoir loop and the "Green Oxygen Art Tour of Changping," and established 141 officially designated cycling service stations. High-level events like the Western Loop Cycling Race have also been successfully held, significantly driving the integrated development of culture, tourism, agriculture, commerce, and sports. The cycling economy in the region is now thriving with new a cycling event that merges a national-level league with regional specialty races, the successful hosting of this event marks a significant step forward in Changping's journey toward becoming a "Beijing Cycling Demonstration Zone." In the future, Changping will continue to integrate its ecological, cultural, and industrial resources. Using the demonstration zone as a strategic platform, the district will harness the event's ability to attract traffic and stimulate consumption, transforming audience engagement into economic momentum. This will inject fresh energy into Beijing's—and the nation's—culture-tourism-sports economy, helping the "wheels" of integrated development roll even farther. 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