From Staff Reports

In what was — perhaps — a surprise to many, Asheville was included on the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide list of top 12 destinations for 2025.

Indeed, the Forbes writers “believe that travelers this year are looking for ‘unique, enriching travel experiences that prioritize personal well-being and connection with nature,’” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Feb. 21. “The annual list features worldwide locations from Australia to Asheville and beyond.”

Further, the newspaper stated, “It isn’t the first time that Asheville has made a prestigious list of travel destinations, even following Tropical Storm Helene’s devastating effects on the Western North Carolina region. Previously, the city was ranked among the top 20 in The New York Times’ list of 100 travel destinations for 2025.”

First and foremost, Forbes Travel Guide acknowledged Helene’s $53 billion in damages across North Carolina. “Though it will take years for the state to recover, writers reminded the public that tourism is welcome in the WNC region once again,” the ACT noted. “Not only that, it’s needed to help with recovery efforts.”

Forbes Travel Guide mentioned the following Asheville destinations:

• Downtown Asheville, including shops, restaurants, galleries and art studios.

• “Bountiful breweries,” including Highland Brewing Company and Archetype Brewing.

• The town’s “most-famous attraction, the 8,000-acre, castle-like Biltmore Estate, and its Four-Star inn.”

• Hiking, biking or driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. Writers reminded tourists to double-check which areas of the parkway have reopened following Helene.

From Staff Reports 

Overall, “attractions” in Buncombe County (especially around Asheville) — “post-Helene — saw a 4 percent jump from pre-Helene levels, now at 18 percent,” it was announced during the Feb. 26 meeting of the TDA, Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Feb. 26.

In summarizing the meeting, News 13 added, “Since Helene, economic stability has been low; as Buncombe County heads into its tourism season, it is important to know where the county stands post-hurricane and what its next steps in recovery are.”

To that end, the TDA meeting “primarily focused on how the county began 2025, and in short, those numbers were strong, with hotel demand and occupancy levels up from January 2024,” the TV station stated.

“Some big attractions that contributed to the economic boost were the recent Billy Strings concert series, which brought in $15.7 million to the local economy, and RAD Fest, which saw a 400 percent increase in the River Arts District.

“Another notable survey response was that 47 percent of business-owners said they were struggling financially compared to 29 percent of resident respondents,” News 13 reported.