Month: November 2019

Jim Coggin, Sally Noona and Cecelia Campbell hosted the STS Leadership, Monica Smith, Executive Director and Wendy Thomas, Dir of Marketing!!

To give thanks to our staff, we hosted a DG brunch on Wednesday. Team members were acknowledged for their hard work, customer service, and years of service.

 

As a special thank you, all employees received a free turkey to enjoy with their family! Attached is a photo of some of the team showing off their birds.

 

We also had a fun time playing a “Minute to Win It” challenge competition. Our Banquet Server Donovan was the grand champion!

 

 

Several months ago, we submitted the Aquarium’s program to Family Traveller in the UK.  Very exciting news.

Winners of the Family Traveller Excellence Awards crowned at celebrity hosted event

 

14.11.2019 Last night saw 50 of the top travel experiences and attractions including game reserves, theme parks and interactive museums crowned winners in the newly formatted Family Traveller Excellence Awards, hosted by renowned singer songwriter, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

 

In a pioneering new approach to the awards to make them more meaningful and relevant to how British families are travelling, Family Traveller moved away from the traditional set award categories such as best hotel for families to adapt to the emerging and changing travel trends. This bold move gave their readers and subscribers the freedom to nominate the most unique, unusual and family friendly travel brands and experiences. These were then grouped into ten clear and well-defined themes which naturally occurred through the nominations.

 

It’s clear from the award themes including sustainable intentions and inclusive wellness that Family Traveller readers are much more focused on the impact to the world their holidays have. Pester power from children has become less about materialistic things and more about climate change and world events. Family Traveller has found that their readers children are much more aware of their environment thanks to climate change leaders such as Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. Greta’s ongoing media presence has made children realise that they do have a voice and are able to use it to make a change.

 

Over 110,000 votes were cast by Family Traveller readers and subscribers to find the 50 Excellence Award Winners, double the number of votes cast for the 2018 awards.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the host for the evening said “The outstanding calibre of the award winners really shows what’s important to Family Traveller readers when choosing and booking their holiday experiences. As a mum of five boys it’s important to me that they not only have a wonderful time, but they are also educated by other cultures and experiences.”

 

Jane Anderson, editor, Family Traveller said “It’s vital to us that we are constantly evolving with the times and offering our audience choice. We know their holidays are precious and we have seen from the awards that sustainability and environmental impact is a real deciding factor when they choose to book an experience or holiday. We want to support those intentions and will continue to raise the bar with the content we create and make sure it’s topical and informative to help them make those informed decisions.”

 

The winners are as follows:

 

Sustainable Intentions.

Morukuru at Madikwe Game Reserve

MalaMala Game Reserve, South Africa

Six Senses Laamu, Maldives.

Feadon Farm Wildlife and Education Centre,  Landal Gwel an Mor Resort

Forest Holidays, Thorpe Forest, Norfolk

 

Cool Innovations

Le Massif Resort, Courmayeur, Italy

The Core at Domes of Elounda

Royal Caribbean Cruises

Anantara Layan Phuket Resort,  Thailand

Hillside Beach Club, Turkey

 

Awesome Thrills and Spills

Norwegian Cruise Line

Canopy Park at Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore

Disneyland Paris for Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain and Marvel Season of Super Heroes.

Diggerland, UK

Sani Adventure Park, Sani Resort, Greece

 

Immersive Experiences.

Crans-Montana, Switzerland

The Acropolis, Athens

Cite de l’espace, Toulouse, France

Visit Jamaica, Bob  Marley Museum.

Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

 

Pure Fun

Santa’s Lapland, Lapland

Hever Castle & Gardens, Kent, UK

Shangri-La, Singapore

Dubai Parks & Resorts

Camp Bestival

 

On Your Marks Active

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, Canada

Quinta do Lago, Algarve

Esprit

The Esplanade Hotel, Cornwall

Hard Rock Hotel, Woodward, Riviera Maya, Mexico

 

Learning and Enrichment.

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Cheshire, UK

ZSL London Zoo, UK

Peak Retreats

Woolley Grange, near Bath, a member of Luxury Family Hotels

Les Villages Nature Paris, France

 

Accessible and Specialist Initiatives

Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas

Beaches Resorts

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Intrepid Travel

Virgin Atlantic’s Hidden Disabilities Scheme

 

Inclusive Wellness

Chablé Resort and Spa, Yucatan, Mexico

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

Evian Resort, France

Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, Maldives

Cocoon & Bloom at Marbella Club, Spain

 

Going Above and Beyond

Best of South Africa Travel

Ikos Resorts, Greece and Spain

Original Travel

Kuoni’s Family Collection

TGV, OUI.SNCF

 

For more information about the Family Traveller Excellence Awards visit https://familytraveller.com/awards-2019/

#familytravellerawards

 

This year’s awards are sponsored by Ayla, the newest and most exciting resort destination in Jordan.

The CVB Culture Team put together a gift basket to donate to United Way’s Holiday Gift Basket Drawing. Inside includes, a gift certificate to Rudee Tours for 4 people, a $25 gift card to Taste Unlimited, a Virginia Beach branded beach towel, 2 water bottles, and some other goodies representing the Beach!

Event Managers, Adrielle and Claire, met some fun characters during the Wicked 10k Race Expo this past weekend!

 

 

You’ve been BOO’d by the CVB Culture Team!

 

The team worked hard to pack over 150 Halloween goodies bags for the CVB and VBCC staff members. They also included treats for the boys and girls of Commonwealth Challenge Youth Academy, an alternative education program providing values, skills, and self-discipline to teens in Virginia. Many of these cadets are often seen assisting with large setups and room flips around the VBCC!