Explore Asheville

RESCHEDULED: Travel & Hospitality Earth Day Cleanup! Sign up for the rescheduled Travel & Hospitality Earth Day Cleanup, taking place Monday, April 28, 2-4:30 in Biltmore Village, Black Mountain, Downtown, River Arts District, and Weaverville. We invite you to take part in a facet of our community’s recovery and contribute to our destination’s stewardship by bringing your colleagues, family, and friends to participate in the cleanup. The program will include welcome remarks and instructions, a one-hour cleanup, and a post-cleanup social! Re-register here: https://bit.ly/4cKmKxP

Secure your spot in one of the remaining neighborhoods and join us and your industry colleagues for the 2025 Explore Asheville Travel & Hospitality Earth Day Cleanup, with support from MountainTrue, RiverLink Inc., and Asheville GreenWorks We invite you to take part in a facet of our community’s recovery and contribute to our destination’s stewardship by recruiting two to three staff members to represent your business and participate in the cleanup. The program will include welcome remarks and instructions, a one-hour cleanup, and a post-cleanup social. RSVP here: bit.ly/4cgnSt8 We can't wait to see you out there!

As our community continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority recognizes the importance of resilience and renewal in these challenging times. In the wake of such hardship, we are more committed than ever to fostering economic recovery and revitalization through strategic investments that support our local economy. The Tourism Product Development Fund #TPDF is one such opportunity that can help rebuild and enhance our travel & hospitality infrastructure, bringing new visitors and economic vitality to Buncombe County. These investments in impactful projects will continue to help our community recover and thrive, now and in the future. Due to the 2024 cycle being postponed, the authority estimates $15 million will be available for TPDF investments this year. We invite Buncombe County-based non-profit and government organizations to submit applications for this year's TPDF cycle, with the belief that these investments will play a critical role in rebuilding, reconnecting, and strengthening our economy. Submit your project here: https://lnkd.in/eaDEXfZT

Join us in contributing to the recovery and stewardship of our community by participating in the 2025 Explore Asheville Travel & Hospitality Earth Day Cleanup, hosted by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, with support from Asheville GreenWorks, RiverLink Inc., and MountainTrue. We encourage you to recruit two to three staff members to represent your business by taking part in the cleanup. Participants can choose the area of town they wish to clean up; each neighborhood will have a host venue for a pre and post-cleanup meetup. Cleanup and Host Venue locations include: Biltmore Village: Village Pub - Asheville Black Mountain: Foothills Local Meats-The Grange Downtown: District 42 River Arts District: The Radical Weaverville: Eluvium Brewing Company The program will include welcome remarks and instructions, an approximately one-hour clean-up, and a post-clean up social with local brews and light bites. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/4cgnSt8

To mark the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Helene, Good Morning America hosted this morning’s broadcast live from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, shining a spotlight on Western North Carolina's inspiring journey of recovery and resilience. With progress being made every day, our community has shown the world that #weareopen, and that visiting our deeply rooted, creative community means more than ever. Working with producers over the last month, Explore Asheville was proud to play a part in making this morning happen and shine a light on the #people and #places in our community. The journey following Helene over the last six months has looked different for everyone, but each step forward is worth recognizing. In addition to the national coverage showing that Asheville is still stunning and standing, Good Morning America and their sponsors are leaving behind $2.7 million in donations for entities and individual efforts to support our area! Watch the first clip from this morning: https://lnkd.in/edVusHXq

In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week (May 4–10), Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority are now accepting nominations for the 2nd Annual Heroes of Hospitality Awards. This year’s awards hold special meaning as we recognize service employees/volunteers who maintained exceptional hospitality amid the unprecedented challenges of Hurricane Helene. Nominees must be non-managerial service employees or volunteers who: • Have direct contact with or provide support/entertainment to visitors and customers • Serve as outstanding ambassadors of Asheville and Buncombe County • Demonstrated exceptional resilience during our community's recovery journey Know someone who goes above and beyond? Nominate your hero by April 11 at 5 p.m.: https://bit.ly/4iFGapy

We’re excited to share marketing assets for 🌷Ready & Blooming🪻—a messaging campaign marking six months of progress since Hurricane Helene and recognizing the Asheville area’s resilience. Half a year after the storm, our community continues its determination to move forward. The journey has looked different for everyone, but each step forward is worth recognizing. Now, as the seasons begin to change, we’re inviting guests to be part of what’s next—to see the progress, support local businesses, and experience the Asheville area’s energy in full bloom. Click the link 👇for THREE WAYS your business can participate in the #readyandblooming messaging campaign! https://lnkd.in/eCZ2h4zq

Introducing the Explore Asheville Hospitality Scholarship! The newly launched #hospitalityscholarship aims to support the development, recruitment, and retention of the hospitality workforce in Buncombe County. Students interested in pursuing a career in hospitality can receive up to $2,500 annually for four years at any North Carolina post-secondary institution. Candidates must be at least 16 years old with permanent residency in Buncombe County and a minimum GPA of 2.5. The application closes at 5 p.m. on April 7. This initiative is part of Explore Asheville’s #HospitalityWorkforceDevelopmentProgram, which addresses staffing challenges that emerged during the pandemic and worsened due to Hurricane Helene. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/ewVytB6v. Asheville City Schools, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Western Carolina University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Warren Wilson College, University of North Carolina Asheville, NC CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

WNC Pizza Week's Travel & Hospitality Industry Afternoon at Highland Brewing Company was a blast! Thank you to the 200+ partners who joined us for a fun afternoon celebrating the travel, tourism, and hospitality workers who deliver spectacular experiences and service to customers every day. We appreciate you!

Explore Asheville Invites Partners to 2025 WNC Pizza Week Industry Afternoon at Highland Brewing. As a complement to Stu Helm’s inaugural WNC Pizza Week, Explore Asheville is inviting travel and hospitality partners in Buncombe County to a special Industry Afternoon at Highland Brewing Rooftop on Tuesday, March 11 from 2–6 p.m. This event is a dedicated thank you to those travel and hospitality frontline workers who deliver spectacular experiences and service to customers every day. Enjoy a complimentary drink token, free pizza and fun with industry colleagues. This event is hosted by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority in partnership with Horizon Food Brokers, Highland Brewing, Stu Helm, the Asheville Buncombe Hotel Association and the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. Please RSVP at your earliest opportunity to help us plan appropriately. http://bit.ly/4i5cQJj Founded in 1998, Horizon Food Brokers has built a solid reputation in the foodservice industry by providing a superior level of service to the customer and client. Their company is proud to be an independent and entrepreneurial brokerage that provides top notch sales and services to foodservice operators and manufacturers across the country. While Horizon’s corporate office is located in Florida, they proudly service accounts throughout Western North Carolina.