Asheville Tourism Recovery
Positive Attitudes and Positive Trends in Asheville, NC
In recent conversations with Victoria “Vic” Isley, the President & CEO of Explore Asheville, and Marla Tambellini, Deputy Director and VP of Marketing, we were inspired by their buoyant tone and confidence in the post-pandemic future. We were delighted to discover that these positive attitudes are based not only on the belief in Asheville’s creative spirit but on the actions taken by local leadership and businesses in 2020 that fostered measurable and solid results.
Locked Down, not Locked Out
Only 36 days after North Carolina entered a state-mandated lockdown on March 30, 2020, state and local leaders announced the establishment of the Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Act. This act allowed the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA) to establish a fund for emergency grants available for small businesses that provide a direct visitor experience. Some of the businesses included are restaurants, retail establishments, studios and galleries, attractions, tours and activities, entertainment and event venues, breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries. Businesses could use the money for rent, payroll, inventory, and other reopening expenses, including personal protective equipment. By end of June, the TDA had awarded all of the $5 million in grants.
In December, the BCTDA released the fund’s Six-Month Progress Report to reveal:
98% of the 394 local small businesses awarded grants remained in operation
3,341 jobs were retained or recovered from the pre-pandemic level of 4,332
18% was awarded to minority-led businesses
55% to women-led businesses
Grants ranged from $2,000 - $30,000 and do not have to be paid back
But sharing wealth responsibly was not the only action taken by Explore Asheville and its local tourism partners in 2020.
Time To Do What You Always Wanted To Do
According to Tambellini, “COVID-19 allowed Asheville to hit the pause button and rethink our approach to visitation.” During this time, Explore Asheville was also undergoing a change in leadership. As the new President and CEO, Isley developed four strategic pillars tied to larger community goals. She notes that “it’s important to understand what the strategic areas of focus are for the broader community in order to understand tourism’s role in it. This holds true for more traditional destination marketing initiatives as well as its destination management grant-making for tourism-related development projects in the community.”
The four Tourism Strategic Pillars are as follows.
Deliver Balanced Recovery & Sustainable Growth – balancing the needs of residents and visitors by implementing strategies to
Increase length of stay,
Disperse visitors throughout the area, and
Reduce the load of visitors on the area’s infrastructure.
Encourage Safe & Responsible Travel – focusing on safe and sustainable travel will serve to protect Asheville’s visitors, residents, and thriving outdoor economy.
Engage & Invite More Diverse Audiences – by creating a defined pillar to focus on more diverse traveler groups, Asheville is keeping this goal at the forefront of future tourism strategies and programs.
Promote & Support Asheville’s Creative Spirit - The strength of Asheville is in its people and their stories. Promoting this creative and innovative culture will enable new opportunities throughout the community.
Positively Asheville!
According to Explore Asheville, total lodging, or occupancy tax, is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of this summer in large part due to the high demand for vacation rentals. Vacation rental sales are up 64% for their fiscal year, while hotel sales are lagging 23% during the same period. No doubt this additional revenue will assist Asheville in developing and employing more programs to support its four strategic pillars and benefit local residents, businesses and visitors to this mountain treasure.
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