Explore Asheville Announces $12.4M Recovery Investments, PGA TOUR Return

Explore Asheville used its "The Year Ahead 2026: Inspiring Community & Collaboration" gathering to lay out a coordinated push to accelerate Western North Carolina's recovery, announcing $12.4 million in Tourism Product Development Fund investments and the return of a PGA TOUR event to the region.

Nearly 350 community leaders and travel and hospitality partners packed The Orange Peel on Jan. 12 for the presentation, coming 15 months after Hurricane Helene. Elected officials including Buncombe County Commission Chair Amanda Edwards and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer framed tourism as central to both near-term recovery and long-term economic stability, and Explore Asheville highlighted a slate of cultural, sporting and infrastructure projects designed to broaden visitor appeal and strengthen community resilience.

A headline item is the PGA TOUR's Biltmore Championship, scheduled for Sept. 17–20, 2026. Explore Asheville and its partners estimated substantial direct visitor spending and media impact from hosting the tournament. Nate Goldsnider was named event director as organizers begin preparations that will affect hotels, restaurants and local vendors in the late-summer tourism season.

The arts calendar received a boost as well. The Asheville Art Museum will present "In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870–1940" from February through June, and Biltmore will open "Luminere," a new multi-sensory outdoor evening experience, in March. Organizers positioned these programs as ways to extend shoulder seasons and distribute visitor demand more evenly through the year.

Infrastructure and resiliency projects were a major focus. Updates included Woodfin Greenway & Blueway work, progress on Taylor's Wave - a proposed world-class wave facility - and plans for Beacon Park in Swannanoa. Explore Asheville framed multiple projects as recovery investments that aim to reduce future storm vulnerability while adding recreational capacity.

Explore Asheville also noted that the $12.4 million in TPDF awards granted in 2025 will fund eight projects across the county, including the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex, Beacon Park, recreation improvements in Enka and the UNC-Asheville tennis complex. Those capital investments are expected to generate construction activity and long-term visitor amenities that support sports tourism and family travel.

The organization capped the event by recognizing local contributors with its Superstar Awards, signaling an emphasis on public-private collaboration as the county rebuilds and expands its tourism product.

For Buncombe County residents, the announcements mean more major events and new visitor experiences in the months and years ahead, along with increased construction and planning activity. Watch for project timelines and traffic impacts as preparations ramp up for the Biltmore Championship and the rollout of museum and outdoor programming. If executed well, these investments could broaden Asheville's tourism base and improve community resilience as recovery from Hurricane Helene continues.