ABA: Virginia festival one of North America’s 100 Best Events

The 2012 Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival has been named one of the Top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association. The festival was included in the ABA’s Top 100 list, published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine.

According to the ABA, the June 1-3 Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world. The 2012 Patriotic Festival will offer an Oceanfront Air Show, headlined for the first time by the Blue Angels.

ABA’s 2012 Top 100 Events Selection Committee selected the festival from hundreds of event nominations submitted by ABA members. Judges considered the event’s broad appeal, its accessibility to motorcoaches and skill at handling large groups, as well as a variety of other relevant criteria.

This is the 30th anniversary for the ABA’s Top 100 List. The list began as a way for motorcoach operators to incorporate new product into the itineraries. It has grown to be an important list for travel professionals, motorcoach operators and the general public.

According to studies completed by researchers at George Washington University and Dunham and Associates, one overnight visit by a motorcoach group can leave from $5,000 to more than $11,000 in a local destination’s economy. Those dollars are spent on lodging, meals, admissions, fees, shopping, souvenirs, services and local taxes.

The Top 100 Events list is available online at www.buses.org/News-Publications/Top-100.