Asheville tourism plan channels $12.4M into recovery and events

Nearly 350 community leaders and travel and hospitality partners gathered at The Orange Peel for Explore Asheville’s Year Ahead 2026 event to lay out a coordinated recovery strategy 15 months after Hurricane Helene. The gathering put economic development front and center, unveiling a package of initiatives — new events, arts programming and targeted infrastructure spending — anchored by $12.4 million in Tourism Product Development Fund awards.

Organizers framed the investments as both immediate stimulus for the travel sector and longer-term resilience spending. The calendar highlight is the return of the PGA TOUR to the region with the Biltmore Championship Asheville (Sept. 17 to 20, 2026), an event the tourism community expects will drive significant visitor spending and national media exposure. Event-driven demand typically lifts hotel occupancy, restaurant receipts and ancillary services; pairing marquee events with capital projects aims to extend those benefits across seasons.

The announced TPDF awards direct capital where local leaders say it will support both economic and community outcomes. Notable grants include $4.5 million to the Beacon Foundation for Beacon Park in Swannanoa, $2.155 million to the Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association for the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex, $1.975,920 to Buncombe County for Enka Recreation Destination Project Phase II, and $500,000 to UNC Asheville for an on-campus tennis complex. Together these projects target sports tourism, youth recreation and public green space — assets that can generate sustained local spending, broaden participation in outdoor activities and strengthen disaster resilience.

Panels at the event tied arts, culture, parks and riverfront projects directly to recovery and resilience planning, signaling a policy approach that treats tourism product development as infrastructure. Investments in parks and waterways, for example, can reduce flood risk while enhancing riverfront appeal for visitors and residents alike. That dual benefit underpins a broader trend in Western North Carolina toward diversifying the tourism base beyond festivals and scenic beauty into immersive, year-round experiences.

For Buncombe County residents the near-term impacts include construction activity, potential increases in seasonal employment and a refreshed event calendar that could stabilize lodging tax receipts. Over the long run, the strategy aims to convert one-time event gains into repeat visitation and higher baseline demand for local businesses.

As projects move from planning to construction through 2026, residents can expect visible changes to sports fields, parks and cultural programming. The coming months will test whether coordinated public and private investments can turn post-Helene recovery into sustained economic resilience for Asheville and the broader Buncombe County community.