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Six months after Hurricane Helene struck our community, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority volunteer board and committee leaders, along with Explore Asheville staff, held their annual planning session in the newly renovated YMI Cultural Center—a project made possible, in part, by an $800,000 investment from a Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF) grant. A series of facilitated sessions from the planning session will help shape a roadmap for continued recovery and revival for the travel and hospitality community as we plan for FY26 and beyond.
While we celebrated our community’s resilience through Good Morning America’s live broadcast from Asheville the day before the session, we also recognized the recovery trajectory illustration below. It demonstrates our collective journey from the initial heroic response and community cohesion phases to the current disillusionment phase—a natural transition that occurs as the honeymoon period ends and outside support diminishes.
Despite the remarkable progress we've made, this visual reminder confirms what many are feeling—we have a considerable journey ahead before reaching the reconstruction/new beginning phase. The graphic reveals we’ve entered that critical valley where processing grief and acceptance are essential before rebuilding can fully take hold.
Yet standing here in Western North Carolina after experiencing Helene's impact firsthand, we are more convinced than ever of our region's resilience. This place, ancient in its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, continues to evolve as it has for generations. And the people who are drawn to and bound by this place continue to be creative, steadfast, and full of gumption. Within this evolution and dedication lies tremendous opportunity for thoughtful and intentional redevelopment.
Topics of the 2025 BCTDA Annual Planning Session included:
- 2025 Resident Perspectives on Tourism from MMGY;
- Tourism-Related Projects Capital Investments Strategy.
After spending the day reflecting on our post-Helene environment, current resident sentiment, and major capital investments of the last decade and a half, the final session was a facilitated interactive exercise. In this activity, leadership was asked to evaluate the progress made over the past six months while also considering existing economic, political, and competitive factors impacting travel and hospitality nationally and right here at home.
A guiding directive emerged to consider economic catalysts such as the new airport terminal currently underway. Participants shared big ideas and aspirations spanning one to three years. This exercise is just the beginning of forming a foundation for a three-year roadmap for the recovery, revival, and reinvention of the travel and hospitality sector.
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| 2025 Resident Perspectives on Tourism |
| 92% of Residents Believe Tourism is Beneficial to Their Community |
As part of its commitment to delivering balanced and sustainable growth, the authority and Explore Asheville partner with MMGY Travel Intelligence to conduct an annual survey measuring residents' awareness and perspectives of travel and hospitality’s impacts and contributions to Buncombe County. A random sample survey of Buncombe County residents between January and February resulted in the following key insights:
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, community pride increased.
- Eighty-four percent of respondents agree that they are proud of their community, reflecting an eight-point increase from 2024 and a significant 12-point rise since 2023, highlighting a positive trend in community sentiment.
- Nearly the same number of respondents agree that visitors have a positive impact on post-hurricane economic recovery.
Residents see the benefits of tourism and broadly support the promotion of travel & hospitality to the area.
- Ninety-two percent of respondents believe that tourism is beneficial to the community, largely outpacing sentiment from 2024 at 88% and 2023 at 84%.
- Seventy-six percent agree that the benefits of travel and tourism outweigh the potential challenges, a five percent increase from last year.
Residents increasingly felt the personal benefits of the local travel & hospitality industry.
- Seventy percent of respondents agree that travel & hospitality positively impacts them and their families. This is a seven percent increase from last year.
Visitors play an important role in economic recovery.
- Ninety-four percent of Buncombe County residents believe visitors help support the number and variety of independent businesses in the community. This is a six percent increase from last year.
Residents agree that supporting local businesses is key for post-hurricane recovery.
- Nearly three-quarters of residents consider the most important behavior for visitors of Buncombe County to be buying and eating local—mirroring what residents themselves prioritize on their own vacations.
Concerns about the negative effects of tourism have lessened.
- Traffic and parking concerns have dropped by six and eight percentage points each.
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| Tourism-Related Capital Project Investment Analysis |
| Assessing TPDF-Supported Projects and Strategic Funding Priorities |
In 2001, the North Carolina General Assembly approved the establishment of the Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF), enabling the authority to invest in major capital projects that drive overnight stays in local lodging properties, generating tax revenues, jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, and spending at local businesses. The TPDF is made possible solely through lodging taxes paid by overnight visitors staying in hotels, vacation rentals, and bed and breakfasts in Buncombe County. The use of these funds is in alignment with North Carolina State legislation and guidelines.
Since 2002, the BCTDA TPDF has provided $86 million through 64 investments in 41 community projects. A few major projects include the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Pack Square Park, Woodfin Greenway and Blueway, and McCormick Field. The grant process and structure have evolved over time to better serve our community.
In late 2024, the BCTDA voted to stagger TPDF and Legacy Investment From Tourism (LIFT) grant cycles, aligning with municipal partner input and allowing more funds to accrue and enabling work on transformational community projects. As of the March 28 meeting, projections show $15.6 million in TPDF and $12.8 million in LIFT funds will be available in each upcoming funding cycle for the next two years.
To shift toward more proactive strategy for investing in future tourism-related capital projects, the authority asked Chris Cavanaugh, Principal of Magellan Strategy Group, to assess the impacts of the largest TPDF-supported projects since the first awards in 2002. Using Zartico geolocation data and insights from venue managers, Cavanaugh's ongoing research includes analysis of guest origin markets, the proportion of guests in lodging, and additional points of interest visited for each major capital project from January to August 2024.
Key findings include:
- Concerts and live events have an incredible economic impact potential.
- Two-thirds of ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe attendees travel from out-of-market driving distances, with 67% attending live music concerts.
- Concert venues generate higher percentages of overnight stays than other events.
- All funded facilities create jobs and wages for area residents, sustain travel and hospitality jobs, serve local resident and visitor audiences alike, and generate incremental tax revenue for municipal budgets.
Following this presentation, a breakout discussion explored the question: What do you believe is missing from the Asheville and Buncombe County experience that, if added, could make the destination even more dynamic?
Top responses included a new large entertainment and cultural facility and indoor multi-use sports facility, both seen as economic catalysts for our entire community. These were highlighted for their ability to create new jobs and wages for area residents, sustain local travel and hospitality employment, serve both resident and visitor audiences, and generate incremental tax revenue for municipal budgets. These types of capital investment projects could also help keep local spending within the community rather than traveling to competing destinations.
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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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