SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1995 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 492
Designating February as Cruise Vacation Month in Virginia.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 4, 1995
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 1995

WHEREAS, travel and tourism is the nation's largest single export, providing over $70 billion for the United States economy and a net trade surplus of over $20 billion; and

WHEREAS, the tourism industry is likewise of vital importance to Virginia's economy, with visitors to the Commonwealth bringing millions of dollars to the state and creating thousands of jobs for its citizens; and

WHEREAS, a steadily growing sector of the travel and tourism industry is the passenger cruise line industry, which annually pours billions of dollars into the U.S. economy and employs hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens; and

WHEREAS, the potential importance of the cruise industry to Virginia, particularly the shipbuilding facilities and tourist attractions of the Hampton Roads area, is significant; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has been working for the past several years to capture a segment of the cruise business, resulting in the arrival this year of 12 cruise vessels at the Newport News Marine Terminal; and

WHEREAS, the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group representing most of the world's major cruise lines, has for the past four years promoted February as National Cruise Vacation Month; and

WHEREAS, capturing a larger segment of the cruise industry, particularly a planned east coast route, could prove to be a boon to the economies of Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby designate February as Cruise Vacation Month in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly express its support for the expansion of the passenger cruise industry in Virginia and encourage the cruise lines to consider the benefits of the Hampton Roads area as ports of call for their cruise vessels.