This month we chatted with fellow OBA member Explore Asheville. Explore Asheville is the official tourism resource for Asheville, North Carolina, offering information on local attractions, events, accommodations, and dining. It helps visitors plan their trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains, highlighting Asheville’s unique culture, outdoor activities, and vibrant arts scene.
1. What is the ethos behind Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA)?
Explore Asheville and the BCTDA were established in 1983 to inspire visitors to have transformative experiences in Buncombe County and its great outdoors while supporting local businesses and livelihoods. As a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), we focus on four strategic imperatives:
- Delivering balanced and sustainable growth
- Encouraging safe and responsible travel
- Engaging and inviting a more diverse audience
- Promoting and supporting Asheville’s creative spirit
These imperatives were developed through extensive community listening sessions and align with broader community goals. Visitors who stay overnight fuel all our efforts, with two-thirds of our budget allocated to destination promotion and one-third to community investments through the Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF) and Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund. Our event sponsorship funds also support local festivals and cultural events such as Get In Gear Fest.
2. Can you elaborate on your efforts to encourage safe and responsible travel?
Encouraging safe and responsible travel means inspiring residents and visitors to care for and respect our natural, cultural, and human resources. We invest in our outdoor economy, spotlight local outdoor products and tour providers, and collaborate with community organizations and environmentally focused partners like the OBA.
We’re proud to be one of the first destinations to participate in the state’s Outdoor NC Trail Towns Stewardship Program, which recognizes communities’ diverse trail experiences and stewardship efforts. We also embrace Leave No Trace principles, incorporating them into visitor communications and experiences to encourage responsible recreation.
3. How are you working to engage and invite more diverse audiences?
We’re committed to extending a genuine invitation to non-majority, diverse visitors to our vibrant destination. One of our significant projects in this area is the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail, which we funded and managed in partnership with the River Front Development Group and a 19-member community advisory board between 2018 and 2023. This self-guided interpretive trail celebrates the dignity, humanity, and agency of Black people who built resilient communities and fostered social change in Asheville.
The trail comprises 14 stops and 20 panels across three historically significant Black neighborhoods. We’ve recently launched Phase II of this project, inviting local BIPOC creatives to enhance the trail through public art.
4. Can you tell us about some of your key partnerships?
We are fortunate to live in a community deeply rooted in creativity and innovation. Through destination promotion, we shine a national spotlight on our local talent, and the list of featured partners continues to grow each year. We intentionally attract meetings and groups aligned with our key economic sectors to help grow and diversify our economy. Working in partnership with local organizations such as the OBA and MadeXMtns, the Asheville Regional Chamber of Commerce, and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies we successfully recruited outdoor economy, climate science, wellness, and automotive events throughout this calendar year, creating business for our community across the seasons.
5. How can local businesses get involved with Explore Asheville?
Explore Asheville partners with nearly 2,000 local businesses to provide free online marketing to 7 million website viewers. We invite all visitor-facing businesses and event producers in Buncombe County to partner with Explore Asheville. Once a partner, organizations can add events to the calendar, share news with the PR/Marketing team, and receive industry updates and special event invites. See if your business qualifies, and then sign up!
More information about Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority can be found here: https://www.ashevillecvb.com/
