Hotels and other accommodations are among the most visible employers associated with Virginia Beach vacations. Visitors need places to stay during weekend getaways, family vacations, conferences, and longer coastal trips. Hotels and resorts can offer positions in areas such as front-desk services, housekeeping, maintenance, food service, guest relations, and management. These roles can appeal to people who enjoy working with the public and want experience in the hospitality industry. Lodging is also an important part of the local visitor economy. In 2024, lodging represented approximately 27% of visitor spending in Virginia Beach, demonstrating how closely accommodation businesses are connected to tourism activity.
Dining is another major source of employment connected to Virginia Beach tourism. Visitors frequently plan meals around their vacation experience, whether they are looking for casual seafood restaurants, family dining, coffee shops, beachfront establishments, or other local options. The latest tourism economic data shows just how significant this sector is. Food and beverage accounted for approximately 42.6% of visitor spending in 2024, while tourism-supported employment included nearly 13,000 jobs connected to food and beverage. For job seekers, this can mean opportunities in restaurants, catering operations, cafés, bars, hotels, and other food-service businesses. Positions can range from servers and hosts to cooks, bartenders, dishwashers, supervisors, and managers.
Virginia Beach’s tourism economy has a strong seasonal component. As warmer weather approaches and vacation travel increases, businesses often need additional employees to handle higher visitor demand. Seasonal work can be attractive to students, people looking for temporary employment, individuals entering the hospitality industry, and workers who want flexible schedules. The city’s Parks & Recreation department, for example, has historically recruited hundreds of seasonal employees for spring and summer positions. Its hiring needs have included areas such as childcare, groundskeeping, and lifeguarding. These positions can provide practical experience while allowing employees to work in a destination that attracts visitors throughout the warmer months.
Virginia Beach visitors come for more than the sand and ocean. Recreation and entertainment businesses also contribute to the vacation experience and create employment opportunities. Tourism-supported recreation and entertainment employment included 4,798 total jobs in 2024, according to the city’s tourism economic impact information. Depending on the employer and season, opportunities may be available in attractions, recreational facilities, visitor services, entertainment venues, equipment operations, event support, and related activities. People interested in these positions may benefit from customer-service skills, enthusiasm for outdoor activities, and the ability to work effectively in busy environments.
A visitor’s vacation involves more than hotels and restaurants. Travelers need transportation, parking, fuel, shopping, souvenirs, and other services during their stay. Tourism activity supported thousands of jobs in transportation and retail in 2024. The city’s economic impact data lists 3,838 total jobs connected to other transportation and 3,188 jobs connected to retail trade.This means people searching for job openings in Virginia Beach can look beyond traditional hospitality positions. Retail stores, transportation providers, parking operations, and businesses serving visitors can all be part of the tourism employment landscape.
Many tourism-related positions place a strong emphasis on customer service. Employees may interact with visitors from different states and countries, answer questions, solve problems, process transactions, or help guests have a positive experience. Communication, reliability, patience, teamwork, and professionalism can therefore be valuable qualities for applicants. For seasonal positions, employers may also value applicants who can work weekends, holidays, evenings, or other high-demand periods. Job seekers should carefully review each position’s schedule and requirements before applying.
People interested in working in Virginia Beach can explore employment opportunities through individual tourism businesses, local organizations, and government employment resources.The City of Virginia Beach maintains an official careers system where applicants can search available municipal positions. The city also provides information about its hiring process and application assistance.Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation also provides career and recruitment information for positions connected to its programs and facilities.Applicants interested specifically in tourism should also consider checking hotels, restaurants, attractions, recreational businesses, event organizations, and other visitor-focused employers directly.
Tourism jobs do more than provide employment opportunities. They help maintain the visitor experience that attracts travelers to Virginia Beach in the first place.When hotel employees welcome guests, restaurant workers serve meals, recreation staff assist visitors, and retail employees help travelers find what they need, each interaction contributes to the overall vacation experience.The city’s tourism industry welcomed approximately 14.3 million visitors in 2024, with visitor spending reaching $2.6 billion. The resulting economic activity supported thousands of jobs throughout the community. For residents and job seekers, this demonstrates why tourism remains an important part of the local employment landscape.
Virginia Beach’s beaches and attractions may be what bring visitors to southeastern Virginia, but a large and diverse workforce helps make those vacations possible. From hotels and restaurants to recreation, retail, transportation, and public facilities, tourism supports employment across many areas of the local economy. For people searching for job openings, the Virginia Beach tourism market can offer opportunities for seasonal workers, students, hospitality professionals, and individuals looking to develop customer-service experience. Understanding the seasonal nature of tourism and exploring opportunities across different visitor-focused industries can help job seekers find positions that match their skills and availability. At the same time, every employee who contributes to the local tourism industry plays a role in helping visitors enjoy their time in Virginia Beach.
