Vic Isley is well aware of the local criticisms that tourism is overpromoted, bringing too many visitors and pushing Asheville’s cost of living out of reach for many.
“Asheville is a community with a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints, and there is a lot to like about that,” says Isley, president of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority and CEO of Explore Asheville. “I grew up outside of Greensboro in the Piedmont, so I’ve been a student of Asheville and Buncombe County from afar for years, and as a resident for three years now, what I’ve found is that narratives around tourism have been perpetuated that are not rooted in data but are rooted more in emotion.”
Since Isley arrived as president of the TDA in 2020, she says that she has been intentional about being “a continuing student of Asheville and Buncombe County” and has hosted several listening sessions in the community.
Throughout the first quarter of 2024, Xpress has connected with local leaders about their organization‘s plans for the new year. In our latest feature, we speak with Isley, who says that in 2024, the TDA will stick to its four strategic imperatives that guide the organization’s decisions and planning: delivering balanced and sustainable growth; encouraging safe and responsible travel; engaging and inviting more diverse audiences; and promoting and supporting Asheville’s creative spirit.
‘Challenges of success’
According to Isley, “Tourism has been baked into this community and this part of the world for over 200 years, and it’s been a part of revitalizing or restarting this community at least two or three times. There are natives of Asheville and Buncombe County who I have listened to in these sessions who have said, ‘We know what it was like back then, we don’t want to go back.’ Then there are some folks who have lived here five or 10 years who just want Asheville to stay exactly how it was when they got here.”
Isley says the community is dealing with the “challenges of success,” and local organizations and governmental bodies, including the TDA, should be working together to address these issues.
“As a community, we really are in this together, and each entity and organization has specific roles to play in our collective success,” Isley says. “The TDA is legally structured in North Carolina to play a specific role, which is a supporting role in a healthy economy. And we do that through promotion that brings net new dollars in the front door of businesses.”
According to data from Tourism Economics, a Pennsylvania-based economic consulting company, $238 million in state and local taxes were generated by the visitor economy in 2021, accounting for about 20% of city and county revenue. Additionally, the report found that Buncombe County households would need to pay an additional $2,261 in taxes annually to replace the visitor-generated taxes received by state and local governments.
“Going back to the listening sessions, one person said, ‘There is a lot of emotion tied up in this because intellectually we get that tourism is important for our community, but emotionally we don’t want to.’ I think that is a pretty interesting way to sum it up,” Isley says. “That is not to say we are perfect, and we really are working on how we can be community partners and how we can have those longer-ranging conversations with our other government partners, with our business partners and with our nonprofit partners.”
A shift in strategy
One notable strategy Explore Asheville and the TDA plan to implement is attracting business-oriented visitors throughout the week, rather than focusing primarily on weekend leisure vacations.
“Our business development team is working on bringing groups and conferences here that focus more on Sunday to Thursday trips, and [those visitors] spend differently than a leisure visitor.”
Several business conferences are already set to come to Asheville in 2024, Isley says. The N.C. Athletic Directors Association state conference took place March 16-18. Adventure Elevate, an annual three-day conference for leaders in the adventure travel business sector, is Friday, July 12-Thursday, July 18. The Model A Ford Club of America will also have its national meeting in Asheville from Monday, July 15-Thursday, July 18. It is estimated these events will generate more than $2.5 million in visitor spending and nearly 4,500 room nights.
Additionally, the TDA is partnering with the Asheville Regional Airport to establish new flight routes. Allegiant Air, one of six of the airport’s airlines, is adding a new route to Orlando, Fla., International Airport in May. Isley says the new route will generate more tourism in Asheville, while also providing locals with outbound travel opportunities.
“Explore Asheville has also been building its relationship with the U.S. Tennis Association to be the official destination sponsor for the Billie Jean King Cup tie. [The competition] is going to take place in Orlando in [April], just one month before nonstop service starts from [Orlando International Airport] to here,” Isley says. “That partnership will include event signage, television exposure and digital marketing, which is important when we are talking about strategies because we know from data that visitors who arrive here by air generally stay longer and spend more on entertainment throughout their stay.”
Isley also mentions Explore Asheville’s new app. Designed in partnership with Austin, Texas-based Visit Widget, the app is a compilation of all of Explore Asheville’s partner listings and includes information on lodging, restaurants, tours and events. The app, which soft-launched in October, has had over 500 downloads.
“I think what we’re seeing with early adoption and by doing one email outreach and having 500 downloads, is that an in-market app can really help with our strategy of dispersal and can get visitors not only downtown, but also into other neighborhoods, districts and towns throughout Buncombe County,” Isley says. “We’re excited about what the app could mean in terms of being a great in-market tool for visitor movement.”
