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.

Meanwhile, Asheville Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley revealed during the TDA meeting the results from the city’s Helene Recovery Priorities survey, which “showed the majority of respondents saying infrastructure resilience, housing, economic recovery, food security and sustainability as their biggest concerns,” News 13 noted.

The TV station then quoted Mosley as saying:

“Road repairs were high on their list, as well as sustainable improvements to our water systems. Also, because so many jobs were lost and people were unable to work, I wasn’t surprised necessarily by the need for food security and sustainability — and housing was an issue before Helene.”

News 13 added, “City staff said that, for its next steps, it would gather the information and create recommendations to present to the council.”