ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Buncombe County visitor spendng plummeted 11 percent in 2024, Vic Isley, Explore Asheville CEO and president, announced during a local tourism update that she recently presented to the Asheville-based Council of Independent Business Owners 

About 75 people attended the breakfast meeting on Sept. 5 at UNC Asheville’s Sherill Cemter.

Isley spoke for about 22 minutes and then fielded questions from the CIBO audience for about five minutes.

Isley began by noting that she grew up in the Piedmont (area)  of North Carolina... I came (to Ashevill) in ‘trying times’ in December 2020 — and ‘then came the cicadas’... and then came (the wrath wreaked by Tropical Storm) Helene.”

Further, she said, “As we head into the first anniversary of Helene,” which hit the area on Sept. 27, 2024, much progress has been made in recharging the tourism sector.

To that end, Isley said with a note of pride, “The collective efforts (locally)… have been recognized nationally.” 

Also, she said, “It’s been a few years since I’ve addressed CIBO” — and much has happened since then.

In 2024, Isley stated, “Visitors to Buncombe County contributed about $3 billion to the area.”

Specifically, she said, “Visitors (to Buncombe) in 2024 spent $2.65 billion — or 11 percent less — because of Helene.”

Isley added, “We ended fiscal 2025 (which ran July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) down 23 percent in lodging sales.”

She said Explore Asheville has three “strategic focuses, including inspire, engage and convert.

In marking one year since Helene hit, Isley said, “We are partnering for a free event — and expecting over 1,000 people, so we encourage you to register for — Heroes of Helene Honoring Recovery & Resilience Together” on Sept. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Highland Brewing in Asheville.

“We’ve really been focused on regional broadcasts...”

Also, she said, “We’re working with TV because its very visual...”

In addition, Isley said that Explore Asheville is focusing on “new connections and recent regional coverage in a number of nearby cities, including Greenville, S.C., Charlotte and High Point, among many.

Explore Asheville is “also focusing on national markets. We think of those as ‘quality visits.’” 

She noted that “Asheville (has won) major accolades” for its tourism development efforts since Helene.”

Isley also cited sponsored partnerships  — “so I’ll be going out to California” soon. “We will have Town & Country visit. Garden and Gun Weddings magazine…”

She then spoke of “influencer partnerships,” such as Allegiant Airlines... We got a great boost from the head of Allegiant.”

Isley added, “An ‘influencer’ is coming in for (the) Goombay” Festival in downtown Asheville, which was held Sept. 4-7.

“In the last year, we’ve booked more meetings and conferences than any year in (local) history. We booked 477 groups compared to 415 last year — a 15 percent increase... Three hundred eighty-nine groups were new bookings...”

In the tourism sector, venues tend to be “‘always busy’ from Thursday through Sunday for leisure travel, so we have been aiming to work on Monday through Wednesday bookings” for the Buncombe area, she said.

At that point, Isley mentioned that, in 2026 and 2027, major NCAA events are booked in the Asheville Civic Center downtown.

Moreover, she asked, rhetorically, “ If Bristol was the ‘Big Bang’ of country music in 1927, what should we make of the significant ‘1925 Asheville Sessions” that featured historically signifcant Americana and Appalachian music?”

To that end, Isley said there will be a city-wide public celebration in Asheville on Nov. 6-8 of the “Asheville Sessions” — and a re-mastering and re-issue of the original acoustic recordings is in motion.

“What we’ve learned through our paid social media” is the need for an ‘All in for Fall’ travel” campaign for Buncombe.

In closing, Isley emphatically thanked the staff of U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock, “for their tireless efforts to get the (Blue Ridge) Parkway reopened.”

During a question-and-answer session that followed, Brian Gompers, senior vice president for Hometrust Bank, asked for specifics about bookings in Buncombe.

“Yes,” Isley replied, “Those bookings are for the future.... Thanks for the clairfying question.”

On another question, Isley noted that “Black Mountain  is the second-most-visited place on the (county) site. We work with the Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce... We have a content calendar that we work on… It’s all about social media…”

An unidentified man asked, “In the fourth quarter (of 2025) — do you have a sense on how that (the Buncombe-area leisure market) will recover this fall?”

Isley answered, “We’re working on that now. It’s under 30 days on whether a visitor decides where to go and when to arrive... 

“Ninety-two percent of people say they still plan to stay somewhere for a few days… Projections have dropped from 2.6 percent to 1.7 percent — so we’re concerned about that...

“Travel at the top end slowed last summer — and this summer it’s been double-digit growth... More people are traveling...”

Isley’s Q&A session then was ended and her presentation was recognized with applause by the CIBO audience

At the beginning of the meeting, CIBO moderator John Carroll greeted the crowd, asking, rhetorically. “Are y’all enjoying the fall-like weather?”

Carroll then announced that the regular session would get underway following “a UNCA minute with Janet Cone,” who is the university’s athletics director.

Carroll explained to the CIBO crowd that, “you know, we’ve had a good relationship with UNCA over the years  — and they’ve allowed us to use this facility.”

Cone, who, Carroll emphasized, was to give a one-minute “welcome,” instead spoke for about seven minutes.

“We are Asheville’s university,” Cone told the CIBO group. “We want you to adopt us... Without you, none of us could do what we do… We’re trying to help bring people back to Asheville....”