Tourism Matters

Travel and tourism had a $149.7 million impact on the city of Norfolk in Fy23.

We may not always realize it, but popular tourist spots like The Norfolk Botanical Garden, Nauticus and the Virginia Zoo, restaurants and even historic sites like the Hunter House Victorian Museum are the backbone of the local economy. Same for local hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and art galleries. These places are not only run by our neighbors and friends, but they also grow our local economy while giving visitors a lifetime of memories.

At VisitNorfolk, we’re dedicated to promoting Norfolk’s unique experiences and expansive amenities to residents and visitors as the best city of its kind to start, study and stay.

When people choose to visit Norfolk, they are single-handedly contributing to the success of our local farmers, artisans, restaurant businesses and more. It is important that we build trusting relationships between Norfolk residents and the entrepreneurs here to foster strong communal ties. We also want to inspire others to consider Norfolk as their new home. With residents come visitors, and with visitors come dreamers.

This past fiscal year, our support of local businesses and community leaders has helped elevate our city from a “nice to see” destination to a “necessity” destination.