Press release from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority:
The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority has announced a contribution of $50,000 to One Buncombe, the community fund designed to help individuals and locally owned small businesses impacted by COVID-19.The funding is made available through revenue earned from advertising on the ExploreAsheville.com website. The BCTDA created this separate source of funding in 2016 and has dedicated its earned income primarily to providing grants and sponsorships to community festivals and cultural events.
“As chair of the committee spearheading One Buncombe, I want to thank the Buncombe County TDA for their support of this important community resource,” said Kit Cramer, president and CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.“The collective impact of donations at all levels by local, state, and federal entities, business and industry, nonprofits, grant-makers, and individuals will bring relief to our neighbors in need who have experienced devastating impacts from COVID-19, particularly the owners of small businesses and their employees. These are the heart and spirit of our vibrant community.”One Buncombe will be administered by the Buncombe County Service Foundation, with grants distributed by a seven-member board of directors.
With this donation, the Festivals & Cultural Events Support Fund and all earned revenue will be depleted until such time that area attractions, lodging, restaurants, and other entities resume advertising on ExploreAsheville.com. Explore Asheville has suspended billing to tourism partner advertisers during the crisis.
Occupancy tax revenues administered by the BCTDA are dedicated by state law for the purpose of attracting overnight visitors to Buncombe County, thereby expanding the customer base for local businesses, providing jobs, and generating tax revenue. As the economy shuts down to “flatten the curve” and reduce the spread of the coronavirus, occupancy tax collections are also disrupted. Funding already collected from visitors by lodging properties will be used, as mandated, to fuel Asheville’s economic recovery when the COVID-19 crisis subsides.
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