‘Economic disaster’: Asheville tourism marketing resumes amid worries

ASHEVILLE – Even as the city remains without clean water after Tropical Storm Helene, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority and Explore Asheville have restarted marketing efforts as the region braces for sustained economic unrest.After the Biltmore announced it’s reopening date of Nov. 2 and the NC Arboretum’s reopening on Oct. 28, the BCTDA plans to continue to encourage visitors back to the region in “pockets and stages,” said Dodie Stephens, Explore Asheville’s vice president of marketing.Visitors should come to Asheville with “heart, patience and careful planning,” she said during the BCTDA’s Oct. 30 meeting.By restarting advertising, the BCTDA is essentially re-inviting tourists back to the mountains. With the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s guidance, the county was placed under a “yellow” travel advisory on VisitNC’s Travel Advisory Map on Oct. 19, meaning that tourists should check for closures and limitations prior to visiting.The storm caused an estimated damage of nearly $54 billion across Western North Carolina, making it the most expensive in the state’s history. Across the city of Asheville, the floods destroyed houses, businesses and an estimated 80% of the River Arts District — which had been flourishing with breweries, restaurants and new apartments along the French Broad River.Over 12% of Asheville’s jobs are in the food preparation and serving industry, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s the largest share of any industry in the city, and stands to be one of the most impacted by the storm. Some worry that workers will leave as opportunity remains low.Visitors contributed $3 billion to Buncombe County’s economy in 2023, a report from VisitNC said in August. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper had previously told the Citizen Times that tourists should stay home given the poor conditions of the region after Helene. During that time, Explore Asheville had paused marketing efforts.One of the major reasons for reopening Asheville is to keep area businesses afloat given Helene’s damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates 43% of small businesses affected by disasters never reopen, while an additional 29% go out of business within two years of a disaster. Long-term closures have likely already changed Asheville’s workforce, BCTDA CEO Vic Isley said.”I’ve heard many conversations over the last several weeks that many of our frontline workforce is already in other communities.” Isley said, estimating that some have said that it’s currently between “20-30%” of workers.”We know that we need to be a catalyst in terms of making sure that we do not have an economic disaster following a natural disaster,” Isley said during the meeting.Months ahead the hardestCurrently, forecasts for the hospitality industry are grim. Tourism Economics, a tourism analytics firm the authority works with, projected that collected lodging taxes will likely be between 45% to 30% lower than originally expected for the next nine months, meaning fewer visitors going to shows, eating in restaurants and traveling to see the Blue Ridge Mountains.The next few months will likely be the hardest, projections show.Compared to 2023 and 2024, collected lodging taxes are projected to decline between 45%-40% in November, December and January. The pace of economic recovery could depend on how fast essential services and other attractions are restored, Isley said. The BCTDA’s operating budget makes up two-thirds of total lodging tax revenue, while the other third is split between two funds spent on tourism development projects.After natural disasters, tourism industry recovery efforts can be years-long efforts, but most do recover within one year, according to Tourism Economics. After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans took three and a half years to recover. Puerto Rico took two years to recover after Hurricane Maria.Isley described Katrina’s impacts on New Orleans as “probably the closest” to Asheville’s situation post-Helene.Compared to other cities affected by major storms, the element of damaged water infrastructure is somewhat of an outlier in comparative recovery efforts, Isley noted.Few locations that face disastrous flooding also experienced the total collapse of public infrastructure as Asheville has with its water system. Even as the city has finished the installation of turbidity curtains at the North Fork Reservoir, it’s still unclear how long the city is going to go without clean water.”I hope it’s sooner than later, but I don’t know if it’s going to be a week, two weeks, another month away,” said HP Patel, a BCTDA board member who is also a local hotelier in the area. “We just lost our busiest month out of the year.”More:Heroes and heartbreak: 36 hours of hell during Helene’s historic floodsWill Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

BOOK REVIEW

TITLE:                 Concise Law of Banking AUTHOR:             Nana Kegya Appiah-Adu (Mrs) PUBLISHER:         Ace Publisher, Accra, 2024 REVIEWER:         Professor Edmund Kwaw Nana Kegya Appiah-Adu’s text on banking law is a detailed examination of key topics in the law of banking. The organization of the book is coherent and logical. In Chapter 1, Nana Kegya Appiah-Adu delves…

Highway agency tells angry bird to ‘myna its own business’ after it photobombs traffic cam

An angry-looking myna bird has become a viral video star after landing directly in front of a highway traffic camera in New Zealand.The black-and-yellow tropical bird stares curiously into the camera overlooking a section of road near Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, its beak open as it appears to squawk loudly. It then flies off before returning for a few more seconds.The video was posted on Facebook on Oct. 21 by the New Zealand Transport Agency, which operates the cameras and joked that the bird “needs to myna its own business.”“The myna bird is a pest in New Zealand — it’s aggressive towards our native birds, destroying their nests, eating native fruit, and taking over other birds’ territory, so this definitely wasn’t a welcome cameo on our cameras,” the agency said.Myna birds, which have the ability to mimic human speech and are often kept as pets, are native to Asia. First introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s, by the mid-20th century they had spread across the North Island and begun to disrupt local ecosystems, leading them to be classified as an invasive species.“A myna annoyance like this can make the roads a bit tricky to see,” the agency said. “Thankfully the myna didn’t stick around long and our bird’s eye view of the road was soon restored.”

3 Insights For Turning Your Passion Into A Thriving Business

Building a business around a personal passion can be one of the most rewarding paths to entrepreneurship. However, it’s not easy. It requires perseverance, adaptability, and the ability to turn personal insights into actionable strategies that resonate with a broader audience.
Many entrepreneurs draw inspiration from their passions, but translating those personal convictions into a company requires insight and tenacity. I turned to Martha Graeff, the co-founder of recently unveiled wellness brand and movement Happy Aging, to learn more.

A respected Instagram influencer and media personality, Graeff’s wellness advocacy reached new heights when she transformed her personal health discoveries into a business and movement. Her story is a powerful example of how following your passion can create not only a brand but a meaningful impact.

Graeff’s journey began with a startling revelation: despite her active lifestyle, her biological age was accelerating faster than her chronological age. This discovery set her on a path of research and self-experimentation that ultimately led her to collaborate with top experts in longevity science. As her own results unfolded, she felt compelled to help other women seeking vitality and happiness, transforming her personal mission into a company that’s now leading a wellness movement.

Here’s how she did it, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

1. Possibilities are everywhere, but they’re not always obvious
When Graeff embarked on her mission to control her biological aging process, she met many respected wellness professionals. This included Dr. Daniel Yadegar, a Harvard-trained physician with advanced fellowship training in regenerative medicine and age management.

As she worked closely with Dr. Yadegar, she recognized that the treatment solutions he suggested were having a revolutionary and transformative effect. “Regenerative medicine holds the promise of not only extending our lifespan but enhancing the quality of our years. My mission is to make healthier aging accessible to all women, empowering them to embrace each stage of life with vitality and confidence,” said Dr. Daniel Yadegar.

Rather than just seeing this as positive for herself, Graeff realized that if she and Dr. Yadegar combined their abilities, they could make happier and healthier aging (backed by rigorous science) accessible to women everywhere. Together they co-founded Happy Aging.
One of the most compelling takeaways from this lesson is that you have to think beyond the moment. As noted in a recent article written by Sam Reese, the CEO of executive coaching giant Vistage, you can never underestimate the value of opening yourself to other perspectives as a leader. The future-forward, visionary entrepreneur sees every encounter and every connection as a thread to bigger, more exciting business possibilities.
2. Sharing your ‘secret sauce’ is smart
Far too many entrepreneurs believe that they have to be secretive about what they know. But fear isn’t a friend if you’re trying to differentiate yourself. As Graeff knew from her experience as an influencer, giving back is what sets you apart from the competition.
By offering exclusive vitality products like the Longevity Shot — a nutrient-dense, bioavailable elixir to promote radiant skin, improved energy, and a reduced appearance of fine lines — Graeff opened the door to building stronger, more genuine connections with female consumers.
In today’s marketplace, transparency sells. According to a report cited by business services provider DWF Group, 94% of consumers are willing to trade their loyalty for transparency. Graeff has strategically set herself up as a mentor and advocate. If you’re on the fence about sharing your knowledge, take the plunge and be radically authentic and open.
3. It’s okay to shoot for the stars out of the gate
Why sit around and hope that your business will expand ‘some day?’ With Happy Aging, Graeff wasn’t satisfied to unveil her business as just a brand. Her ultimate objective was for it to become a wellness movement.
Happy Aging is aimed at fostering a community from the ground up. The brand was created to be more of a mindset than just a seller of material goods. Yes, the website offers products, but it offers educational information as well. Customers can also order a personalized Biological Age Test to find out where they stand on the biological-versus-chronological age spectrum.
Thinking bigger from the beginning stages of your company allows you to avoid the limitations of being viewed as a one-note brand. True, you have to be careful not to dilute your capabilities and resources. Allowing yourself to name and visualize your future dream can help define your company’s overarching vision and give you some North Star goals to follow.