June Weekend Events Boost Regional Tourism But Hotel Occupancy Rate Trails Some Peer Destinations
Gains in overnight weekend stays offset by midweek declines
Recent data provided by a local tourism promotion organization spannig a two-week period from June 15 to June 28, 2025, indicates that the total occupancy rate in the Historic Triangle region stayed steady at around 66% when compared to the same period in 2024.
The Triangle’s total occupancy rate was similar to that of Richmond’s downtown business district, but lagged behind Virginia Beach, which saw total occupancy above 80% for the same period and the total national average occupancy rate of around 70%.
The occupancy data indicates that overnight visits to Williamsburg remain heavily weekend-driven overall. When compared to the same period in June 2024, growth for weekend occupancy rates were up, but mid-week occupancy rates experienced a decline. This decline in weekday stays helps to explain why occupancy rates stayed flat, trailing behind peer markets.
According to the CEO of Visit Williamsburg, Edward Harris — whose organization operates with a central goal of driving overnight visits to the region, what he refers to as putting “heads in beds” — bolstering weekday visitation through business travel, conferences, or midweek events remains a critical opportunity for growth. But he attributed much of the success in growing weekend stays in June to several popular events, including Williamsburg Live (June 20-22) and the Whiskey and Wine Weekend (June 27-29). For example, data provided by Visit Williamsburg indicates that Williamsburg Live attracted well over 4500 daily visits across the three day event.
Another important metric for local tourism officials is the nightly rate charged for a hotel room. For the period covered by the provided data, the Triangle region saw the average room rate increase by around 4% to around $153 per night. For comparison, during the same period Richmond’s core business district saw room rates hover around $174 per night, Virginia Beach hotels charged around $225.
A Williamsburg Independent contributor used AI tools as well as comments from an interview, several emails, and data provided by Visit Williamsburg to produce this post. No compensation was received.