Buncombe County tourism demand rises slightly despite gas prices, uncertainty

Higher gas prices and geopolitical uncertainty have not stopped Buncombe County’s tourism engine from moving forward. Explore Asheville president and CEO Vic Isley told the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority on April 29 that fiscal 2026 room-night lodging demand was up 1 percent from fiscal 2025, rising from 2.7 million to just over 2.8 million.

That is a modest gain, but in a county still rebuilding after Helene and absorbing broader travel volatility, it signals that Asheville and the surrounding towns continue to draw visitors. The bigger question is not whether people are booking rooms, but whether they are spending as freely once they arrive. Tourism money flows into restaurants, shops, attractions, event venues, transportation and service jobs across Buncombe County, so a shift in travel behavior can hit small businesses before it shows up in hotel totals.

National travel data help explain the concern. Longwoods International’s April 2026 sentiment survey found that one-third of Americans said higher gas prices were affecting travel plans, up from 21 percent a month earlier. Among those planning to travel in the next six months, 41 percent said they were choosing destinations closer to home and 36 percent said they were taking fewer trips. That kind of behavior can support lodging that is close enough for a drive, while trimming the discretionary purchases that local merchants rely on most.

The county’s tourism mix shows why that matters. Hotels and vacation rentals account for roughly 30 percent of trip spending, while the other 70 percent goes to restaurants, retail, recreation and entertainment. Mountain Xpress reported that Buncombe hotels averaged just under 10,000 rooms per night in 2025, compared with roughly 8,000 vacation rental units, suggesting a stable base of overnight demand but plenty of exposure for businesses tied to day-to-day visitor spending.

Buncombe’s 2024 numbers show how large the stakes are. Visit North Carolina reported $3.541 billion in visitor spending in the county, a 7.2 percent increase from 2023, making Buncombe the state’s largest tourism county by spending. Statewide, North Carolina set a record with $36.7 billion in visitor spending in 2024, supporting 230,338 jobs and generating nearly $2.7 billion in state and local tax revenues.

Explore Asheville also reported $67.4 million in direct spending from group travel booked through the authority in fiscal 2025, along with 115,393 room nights, up 39 percent from the prior year. And after Helene, the Always Asheville Fund raised and awarded more than $2.2 million to support small businesses. Together, those numbers suggest a destination that is still resilient, but one where higher fuel costs and fragile confidence could quickly reshape who spends, where they spend and how long they stay.