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Aug 1, 2024
At this week's Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA) meeting, Vice President of Business Development Michael Kryzanek recapped FY24 sales performance. Explore Asheville brought in nearly $50 million in direct group spending last fiscal year and booked 415 events, a 5.3% increase from FY23. The presentation included a Meetings Database Institute (MDI) analysis of group arrivals for this fiscal year, July 2024 through June 2025.
We are pleased to share the latest commercial spot shining a spotlight on our creative community, the Sounds of Asheville. Directed by local filmmaker Erin Derham in collaboration with Explore Asheville, the commercial embraces the storyline of a quality visit, demonstrating a day to night and beyond (to motivate longer stays).
Other takeaways from the July board meeting include:
- June lodging occupancy and demand;
- Highlights of Q4 Business Development, Marketing, Partnership, and Culture efforts and achievements towards Explore Asheville's Strategic Imperatives;
- Jay Curwen was named Explore Asheville's new director of sports, film & entertainment.
Staff will share the first half of 2024 destination performance at the Aug. 28 board meeting. Immediately following that meeting, board members will attend the groundbreaking for McCormick Field renovations, made possible by a $23 million major works Tourism Product Development Product (TPDF) investment in partnership with the City, County, and Tourists Baseball Club.
As part of that partnership, you, your team members, and families are invited to celebrate our industry at the 2nd annual Travel & Hospitality Night at McCormick Field that evening. Tickets are still available at a discounted price of $4 for industry members. We hope you plan to join us!
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| June Lodging Occupancy Reaches 74% |
| FY24 Total Roomnight Demand Rises Slightly Above FY23 |
June hotel occupancy reached 74%, down two points from 2023 and eight points from 2019. May vacation rental occupancy landed at 63%, up three points from 2023 and two points from 2019.
June hotel demand grew 9% from 2019 to 2024, while June vacation rental demand grew 64% over that same period.
| View the Latest Destination Dashboard |
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| Creating Return on Investment |
| April through June Packed with Targeted and Integrated Efforts |
Explore Asheville leadership provided progress updates on five strategic imperatives that ladder up to broader community goals and guide the direction of Explore Asheville's initiatives and community investments for the last quarter of FY24.
Highlights of the fourth quarter progress report include:
- The content team created an extensive library of sporting facility assets for sales and marketing to attract future athletic events.
- Our community hosted 130 groups, generating $16.8 million in direct spending. The Business Development team attracted 91 future groups and events, expected to generate $12.4 million in direct spending.
- The BCTDA approved nearly $10 million of investment in 12 tourism-related capital projects during the inaugural cycle of the Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund.
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- Asheville became the first Southeast destination to host AdventureELEVATE, attracting 350 travel buyers, tour operators, media, tourism boards, and travel content creators from more than 40 countries, bringing approximately $450,000 of direct spending to our community.
- Asheville is one of the 18 destinations participating in the Outdoor NC Trail Town Stewardship program, which aims to deepen stewardship ethos and promote responsible and accessible travel. This partnership led to new Responsible Travel and Accessible Asheville landing pages on ExploreAsheville.com and provided content for the upcoming Visit NC Trail Town Visitor Guide.
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- Explore Asheville pursued a year-long strategic public relations campaign elevating the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail through targeted media outreach, influencer engagements, and a transformative group press trip that activated more than 20 local BIPOC businesses.
- All staff earned a Unity Blaze Certification from Black Folks Camp Too, an organization that aims to deepen understanding of the challenges faced by underrepresented communities and develop the skills to welcome everyone to the great outdoors.
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- A music scene storytelling partnership with Garden & Gun recorded six back porch session concerts and hosted a musicians' dinner, all leading up to this week's much anticipated AVL Fest.
- The WILDSAM digital field guide covered the breadth of Asheville’s offerings through a web-friendly map with dozens of noteworthy restaurants, neighborhoods, and shops.
- The marketing team leveraged the local legacy of summer camps by amplifying the Summer Camp movie to prompt summer travel.
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- The Travel & Tourism Earth Day Clean Up had more than 100 partners clear 460 pounds of trash from five locations. The Heroes of Hospitality Awards celebrated six winners and 33 nominees for their exceptional service.
- The Partnership & Destination Management team conducted a partner survey and received 178 responses. The top need identified was driving business during the shoulder season. The feedback suggests the potential to elevate sporting events and venues as destination assets.
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| Business Development and Sales Performance |
| YTD Results on Secured Events, Generated Leads, and Direct Spending |
The Business Development team brought in nearly $50 million in direct visitor spending last fiscal year and booked 415 events, a 5.3% increase from FY23.
Focused on recruiting high-impact events, the team recently attracted 100 hospitality thought leaders for the INDIEConfab conference, generating $127,000 in direct visitor spending. Additionally, Explore Asheville secured the MO Summit's return for Spring 2025 and 2026, which is expected to attract more than 100 CEOs of high-growth, positive-impact companies. Explore Asheville continues to collaborate with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development Commission on event recruitment through the Asheville Business Events Council.
Explore Asheville has secured bookings for 28 sports groups and events, as well as five groups and events in partnership with the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, including the Southern Conference Women's Volleyball Championship, through the end of 2024.
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| Jay Curwen Named New Director of Sports, Film & Entertainment |
A veteran sales executive and Asheville native Jay Curwen brings extensive experience in outdoor recreation, event management, and film production to this new role at Explore Asheville starting Aug.12. Curwen recently served for 12 years as senior director of sales & retail for Nantahala Outdoor Center, one of America's largest outdoor activity providers. He spent 10 years as a sponsored multisport athlete, won the Mount Mitchell Challenge/Black Mountain Marathon twice, and has been its race director since 2004. He recently worked on location at the filming of the Summer Camp movie.
| Read More About Jay Curwen |
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| Sporting Events and Weddings Remain Key Group Drivers |
| Semi-Annual Report in Alignment with Delivering Balanced & Sustainable Growth |
Meetings Database Institute (MDI), a strategic data management and solutions firm specializing in hospitality and meetings, presented group arrivals booked through Explore Asheville for FY25. Analysis of our customer relationship management (CRM) data found the following key points and trends to monitor when gauging future business:
- Sports and athletics events, booked by Explore Asheville and in collaboration with community partners, continue to be the top producer of group business. Weddings, agriculture/commodities/food & beverage, education, and manufacturing round out the top five segments for groups in FY25.
- Most of Asheville's group business will come from North Carolina and South Carolina, followed by Georgia and Colorado.
- Various groups of different sizes will visit Asheville in FY25, with almost two-thirds being smaller groups (fewer than 50 rooms).
- Currently, group arrivals are heavily weighted in the first half of FY25, with peak business arriving in July, August, and September. Groups tend to book three months to three years in advance, and with lead times trending shorter, more business is expected to be contracted for arrival dates throughout the remainder of the year.
- As a result of targeted sales efforts by the team, group business continues to be placed midweek, with room nights spread across all days of the week.
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MORE INFORMATION & NEXT MEETING OF BCTDA
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Delivering Balanced
& Sustainable Growth
Encouraging Safe & Responsible Travel
Engaging & Inviting More Diverse Audiences
Promoting & Supporting Asheville's
Creative Spirit
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