May 1, 2025

The heart of this week’s Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board meeting focused on spring and summer marketing efforts to accelerate the recovery and rebound of our visitor economy and to support our creative community. Tourism Economics data indicates that investing in targeted marketing and messaging can help shorten the timeline for economic recovery. Explore Asheville is fully committed to inspiring the return of visitors and customers, collaborating with area partners, and contributing to the revitalization of our region.

Explore Asheville paused all paid advertising the day after Helene. Promotion resumed in November, in coordination with Biltmore and Visit NC, following Biltmore’s reopening, the return of potable water, and the clearance of major highways and roads.

Ever since, we’ve been shining a spotlight on members of our creative community who can lead the region’s economic recovery, while also offering space and grace to the people and places that need more time to heal. Recent resident sentiment studies show the community supports this approach to power our collective comeback.

Takeaways from the April board meeting include:

• March lodging occupancy and demand;
• Visitor spending recovery trajectory, resident sentiment and support, and national travel trends;
• Asheville Regional Airport Chief Executive Officer Lewis Bleiweis presented air service recovery, headwinds, and construction updates;
• Highlights of Q3 Business Development, Marketing, Partnership, and Culture efforts and achievements towards Explore Asheville's Strategic Imperatives;

Earlier this week, more than 100 travel and hospitality partners joined Explore Asheville in a rescheduled Earth Day Cleanup, collecting more than 4,000 pounds of trash and debris from five different areas in the county.

Next week is National Travel and Tourism Week, and we are excited to celebrate with two events. On Monday, May 5 at the Heroes of Hospitality Luncheon, we will honor six outstanding frontline hospitality professionals whose dedication has made a lasting impact on our community. Then, on Thursday, May 8, we will unveil the first public art installation of Phase II of the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail at The Whale :: South Slope. There’s still time to register for both events — we hope you plan to join us!

March 2025 hotel occupancy was 64%, flat from 2024 and down five points from 2019. Hotel demand was on par with last year.

Vacation rental occupancy was 51%, down six points from 2024 and three points from 2019. Vacation rental demand was down 28% year-over-year, indicating a significant reduction in inventory.

The value of visitors to our community is more widely understood now than ever, according to the 2025 Resident Perspectives on Travel & Hospitality Report. Following Hurricane Helene, community pride has grown. Residents recognize the benefits of tourism and generally support efforts to promote travel and hospitality in the area, acknowledging visitors' positive impact on economic recovery.

Comparable Recovery Timelines

Visitor spending in most hurricane recovery destinations returned to baseline within 12 months. Hurricanes Katrina and Maria are outliers at 42 and 24 months, respectively. Our region’s mountain terrain and water failures could make our recovery an outlier, and we are working collaboratively with partners to shorten our economic recovery timeline as much as possible.

American Travel Sentiment

Longwoods and Future Partners’ latest American traveler studies show that external economic headwinds also exist:

• Travel planning is on the rise despite inflation concerns. While 55% of American travelers say inflation will significantly impact their decisions, 94% have trips planned in the next six months, an increase from 88% in February.
• Consumers are torn between the desire to travel and concerns about inflation. While many may spend less and stay closer to home, the demand to travel remains strong. Regional road trip markets could benefit, as domestic leisure travelers seek value this summer.
• Almost 59% believe Asheville is fully or partially open to visitors. The number of people who believed Asheville is fully open and operational gradually increased from 10% in November and 20% in February, highlighting the need for more consistent communication of the area's status to support economic recovery.

Market data and behavioral analysis remain foundational as Explore Asheville evolves its marketing strategy to welcome visitors back to the region. The following key demographic and market insights outline Explore Asheville’s marketing strategies and partnerships for recovering Buncombe County’s visitor leisure market this spring and summer:

Origin Market Demographic Insights & Strategies

Current Trends: Post-Helene visitor demographics show travelers skewing younger across most markets, with Florida being a notable exception. Family travel has not fully returned to pre-Helene levels, though increases in travelers aged 35–54 with children from mid-sized fly markets in the Midwest are evident.

Demographics Strategy: This presents an opportunity to target families (ages 45-54 with kids). Building visitor confidence through clear Asheville is Open messaging remains a priority across all channels. New advertising landing pages provide seasonal information, pre-visit guidance, and email campaigns promoting limited-time packages and events.

Regional Markets

Current Trends: Nearby regional markets continue to represent the largest share of leisure visitors, with visitation patterns essentially unchanged since the storm. Visitors from Charlotte, historically the largest origin market, are lagging behind in returning to our area.

Regional & Charlotte Market Strategies: Broadcast news partnerships, new landing pages, and targeted email campaigns provide helpful information about what to know before your visit, along with seasonal tips and inspiration. Charlotte has been elevated from a travel intent market to a core market, allowing for increased investment and consistent messaging to support stronger re-engagement.

Western Markets

Current Trends: Western markets are pacing behind in lodging, visitation, and spending. Distance to Asheville and perceived travel barriers play a key factor in current visitation trends, with Knoxville recovering faster than Nashville.

Promoting Scenic Routes: Awaiting I-40’s complete reopening, the western markets strategy focuses on promoting scenic routes with engaging drive itineraries and partner pit stops. This includes dedicated social media campaigns and paid digital content using road trip-themed messaging to highlight the scenic journey as an easy access point to Asheville.

Fly Markets

Current Trends: The Midwest and Texas are outperforming Northeastern markets in terms of recovery.

Personalized Campaigns and Airline Partnerships: Explore Asheville has launched personalized campaigns for 23 nonstop flight markets via the Bound customization software featuring tailored landing pages for each origin destination. The team is collaborating with Allegiant and AVL Airport to promote the new direct flight from Washington, D.C. to Asheville, including a five-day segment on Good Morning Washington.

Major Metro Markets

Current Trends: Major metropolitan market share remains similar to pre-Helene levels; however, spending from these markets is trending down. Chicago is recovering quicker than New York and Washington, D.C.

Geofencing: Geofencing delivers inspirational content to event attendees’ devices who align with target audiences across all markets. Current geofencing efforts include regional, national, and major market opportunities, including the James Beard Awards in Chicago, and the Luke Combs Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Strategic Partnerships & Cross-Market Initiatives

This week, Explore Asheville and Visit NC are launching a $2 million co-op campaign, leveraging funds from the state's $4 million received for incremental promotion of Western North Carolina tourism recovery. This partnership will target key flight markets across TV, streaming services, and digital billboards, encouraging visits to North Carolina and Asheville.

Additional high-visibility partnerships include:

• iHeart Radio's live coverage from the RAD Renaissance event on May 10
• Oprah Daily partnership featuring Adam & Gayle celebrating "25 years of friendship" while exploring Asheville's Foodtopia
• S. Open Golf Championship remote broadcasts live from Asheville
• Bal Harbour Shops Mother's Day activation in Miami

Recognition Of Resilience

Asheville has received more than a dozen accolades from renowned publications, including The New York Times, Forbes, and National Geographic, highlighting the community's resilience post-Helene. These recognitions celebrate the area's strengths across multiple travel categories, including family travel, solo travel, culinary and craft beer experiences, girls’ getaways, and outdoor adventures.

Asheville Regional Airport Chief Executive Officer Lew Bleiweis presented an update on the Helene recovery, aviation travel forecasts, and the new terminal. The Asheville Regional Airport is on track to open its new north concourse, expand its ticket lobby, establish a temporary TSA checkpoint, and return to record-level seat capacity by late summer 2025.

AVL is uniquely positioned to weather upcoming headwinds such as broader economic uncertainty and slowing growth and profitability in the airline industry. Nationally, leisure travel is leading air travel recovery, which bodes well for Asheville and Buncombe County, long recognized as a strong leisure destination. Most routes are a balanced 50-50 mix of origin and destination travel—an unusual and attractive trait for airlines. The airport also benefits from a healthy combination of low-cost and legacy carriers, as well as a diverse traveler mix that includes tourists, bleisure travelers, those visiting friends and family, business travelers, second-home owners, and frequent regional flyers.

Last quarter, Explore Asheville collaborated with local travel and hospitality partners to amplify the message that Asheville and Buncombe County are open and ready for visitors. The organization’s Strategic Imperatives guided major highlights such as:

• Stars Servin’ Up Love, a nationally televised celebrity tennis benefit supporting Hurricane Helene relief, raised $1 million for the community, with Explore Asheville serving as the presenting sponsor.
• Date Nights and Hotel Weeks campaigns featured 28 date night itineraries and 44 lodging partners to inspire winter travel through limited-time offers and curated content.
• The Six-Month Progress and Shop Local Toolkits helped partners share their recovery stories, engage guests, and drive support for local businesses.
• Good Morning America’s “Asheville Rising” partnered with Explore Asheville to show that Asheville is open and visiting means more now than ever. By the end of its broadcast, GMA and its sponsors raised $2.7 million for local organizations and individuals across WNC.
• SoCon Conference Partnership produced more than $10 million in direct spend for the community during the winter shoulder season. The expanded partnership included the inaugural Explore Asheville SoCon Wrestling Championship, the New Business Leader Forum, and the SoCon Symposium.
• Business Development secured 58 groups and events that spent $23.4 million in the community. This represents a 79% increase in room nights and a 41% increase in events compared to the same quarter last year.
• The Year Ahead and Travel & Hospitality Pizza Afternoon reunited our partners for the first time since Hurricane Helene, celebrating the industry's courageous efforts, and fostering connections and inspiration for the area’s recovery and revival.
• The Always Asheville Fund reached an important milestone of awarding more than $2.1 million through 513 grants to small businesses.

In honor of National Travel & Tourism Week (May 4–10), Explore Asheville invites you to celebrate travel’s essential role in driving our national and local economy, cultivating vibrant communities, and forging connections.

Join us for the second annual Heroes of Hospitality Awards Luncheon in the Heritage Ballroom at the Omni Grove Park Inn, May 5, 11:30 am–2 pm.

The Explore Asheville Heroes of Hospitality Awards will recognize individuals who provide excellent hospitality and customer service to visitors and residents in Asheville and Buncombe County. Connect with your industry colleagues as we honor the dedication and hard work of the front-line staff and volunteers in our community’s travel and hospitality industry.

Interested in being a sponsor of the Heroes of Hospitality Awards Luncheon?

100% of ticket sales and sponsorships will benefit the Explore Asheville Workforce Development program. Please contact Tiffany Thacker Vice President of Partnership & Destination Management if interested. 

Explore Asheville, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, and Riverfront Development Group invite you to the unveiling of the first public art installation of Phase II of the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail. Join us Thursday, May 8, 3–5pm at The Whale:: South Slope for the interpretive mural's debut, located in the Southside area. This is the first of three murals planned for Phase II, with others to be located throughout the community.

Festivities will take place in the parking lot between The Whale and Green Man on Buxton Avenue, featuring remarks from project partners and muralist Tommy Lee McGee, tunes by Zati and Mesi, beverages from The Whale, and tasty bites by Cooking with Comedy.

Stick around to take part in the Black Cultural Heritage Trail Makers Scavenger Hunt, highlighting local Black-owned pop-ups at various businesses in the area including Urban Orchard, The Funkatorium, The Whale, Green Man, Chemist, Burial, and Good Hot Fish. One lucky winner will be selected to receive a gift bag of local goods. We hope you join us in celebrating the agency, achievements, and contributions of Asheville’s black community.

MORE INFORMATION & NEXT MEETING OF BCTDA

Find documents from the April 30 board meeting HERE >>

THE NEXT BCTDA BOARD MEETING
Wednesday, May 28 | 9–11 a.m.
Explore Asheville | 27 College Place
Details to be posted HERE >>

Delivering Balanced 
& Sustainable Growth

Encouraging Safe & Responsible Travel 

Engaging & Inviting More Diverse Audiences

Promoting & Supporting Asheville's
Creative Spirit