Virginia Beach to spend $1M on positive ad blitz following shootings, curfew

Atlantic Avenue Association hopes to attract locals with “Own the Beach”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — People living in or near cities like Washington D.C., Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh could soon be seeing a fresh batch of advertisements promoting the Oceanfront resort.

Tuesday, City Council voted unanimously to spend $1 million to fund the SURGE campaign. It’s an immediate ad blitz designed to combat any negative sentiments potential visitors may have garnered by recent events, according to Deputy City Manager Amanda Jarratt.

Saturday night shootings in March and April left total of 14 people injured at the resort. As a result, City Council instituted an all-ages curfew at 9:30 p.m. for weekends — later overturned — that business owners said effectively turned off the city’s economic engine and communicated an unwelcoming message.

Jarratt said the campaign looks to leave all that in the past.

“Over the last few weeks, unfortunately, we’ve experienced several issues that have potentially have negative impact on our perception and reputation,” Jarratt said. “And so this is a concerted effort to actively reinforce our family-friendly brand and maintain focus on increased visitor tourism for this 2026 resort season.”

The city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau will focus on “the drive and fly markets” in proximity to Virginia Beach, with digital media placements with streaming services and online travel platforms.

The city hasn’t tracked an overwhelming negative reaction to events this spring, Jarratt said, but “felt it best to be proactive.”

“While there may be some concern over gas prices, certainly airline prices have increased as well, … we feel like more individuals are going to be traveling domestically, and we want to ensure that they are visiting the city of Virginia Beach,” Jarratt said.

The money for the ads comes from the Tourism Advertising Program Special Revenue Fund. Traditionally $11.4 million each year is spent on marketing, according to Jarratt. She points to the $2.6 billion in 2024 visitor spending as return on investment.

“I think it’s terrific,” said George Kotarides, owner of Dough Boy’s Pizza. “I applaud them for doing that. But we’re hoping that we can move into a more localized campaign in conjunction.”

Saturday, the Atlantic Avenue Association has organized “Own the Beach.” Kotarides, who founded the association, helped to organize the effort out of concern for the resort’s reputation in the region following the last two months.

“It’s quiet, you know? It’s not as active as it normally is,” Kotarides said. “So we’re hoping that this creates a little bit of energy.”

Own The Beach is a campaign where, so far, nearly 60 businesses have agreed to offer $10 deals on Saturday.

“We got amusements, attractions, dessert and sweets, restaurants, bars, parking, there’s a couple parking lots offering $10 all day parking, so there’s a lot of different businesses that are participating,” Kotarides said.

He called it a pilot program, of sorts, to see if it attracts locals for a day.

“We just need to take this as an opportunity, really, to start fresh and do something new and different and try to make a little lemonade out of lemons, if you will, and get people together, get the community together,” Kotarides said.

To read a complete list of deals from participating businesses click here.