The American Bus Association (ABA) has announced that the 2012 Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival, to be held June 1-3, has been designated as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2012 by an experienced expert tourism industry selection committee.

Inclusion in the Top 100 list, published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine, indicates the Patriotic Festival offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world, according to ABA.

The 2012 Patriotic Festival will offer an Oceanfront Air Show, headlined by the Blue Angels, for the first time during this event. The Blue Angel C-130 “Fat Albert” along with the rest of the Blue Angels Squadron will perform in conjunction with OpSail 2012 Virginia, a commemoration of the War of 1812, and the United States Navy. In addition to the air show, the festival will include military displays and demonstrations, food and beverage vendors and entertainment by the popular reggae group Steel Pulse, as well as other national recording artists. Admission to the Patriotic Festival is free, although VIP tickets can be purchased for concerts as well as the air show.

Visit www.patrioticfestival.com for more details.

With the release of the ABA’s 2012 Top 100 Events in North America, they celebrate 30 years of the program. What began as a way for motorcoach operators to incorporate new product into the itineraries, has grown to one of the most sought-after lists by 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.

ABA’s 2012 Top 100 Events Selection Committee selected the Virginia Beach Patriotic 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. The Top 100 Events list is available online at www.buses.org/News-Publications/Top-100.

For more information on Virginia Beach, visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com.

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” year-round! Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population.

For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800/822-3224) or visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com for online trip planning.

This story was published on 30 Mar 2012.