Asheville's tourism industry is recovering, a year after Helene

[MUSIC] >> This is Do South on WU&C. I'm Leonita Inge. Tourism numbers took a big hit in Asheville and the surrounding region after the devastation left by Helene last fall. Staff worked day and night to get built more reopened. >> They knew the importance of getting built more estate reopened that that would serve as a beacon of hope for the surrounding community. That it was okay for people to come back. We needed people to start to come back. We talked to Chase Pickering, VP of Guest Experience at Built More. Vic Eisley, President and CEO of Explore Asheville knows what it takes for a comeback. >> Bring and be ready for some joy. >> And also bring some money. >> Bring him. [LAUGH] >> Getting tourists back on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Do South. The news is next. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> From the American Tobacco Historic District and Downtown Durham, this is Do South on WU&C. I'm Leonita Inge. Asheville, North Carolina is known as the heartbeat of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Tourists come back again and again for the music, mountains and the food. [MUSIC] It's been one year since the remnants of Hurricane Helene flooded the region, destroying homes, businesses and lives. Today there are signs of a rebirth along with a major push to lure tourists back to Asheville. And they're coming. >> So this would be our first time here, yes. And I have it on my son's word that this is worth every minute that took us to get here. >> We caught up with Audrey Sullivan who traveled from Maine to visit the Bill Mora State. Later this hour, we'll speak with Chase Pickering, vice president of guest experience at Bill Mora, and a descendant of the Vanderbilt family who built the majestic home in gardens. But first, Asheville's food scene has a national reputation and is referred to as "foodtopia." Most of the restaurants are back, but it hasn't been easy. Gary Neelen is a front house manager at Carmel's Kitchen and Bar in the historic Grove Arcade. >> Are you pretty busy? We are, we're lucky that we're next to the Cherokee Center. So anytime that there's an event or a concert around, we tend to get a lot of traffic from that. We are about a third below what business was last year. We are still doors open though, that's the most important part. >> Neelen celebrates being back, but there's fewer staff, a smaller menu, less foot traffic. Now we head to the River Arts District where there are bright spots and not so bright spots, debris is still being hauled away. One restaurant that was supposed to open September 2024 didn't. And Gormande, a French rotisserie style restaurant, still isn't open. Tied up in a legal fight since a lean swept through. I spent some time with the owners of Gormande, Katie Grayback and Peyton-Barell, to find out if they still have a future in Asheville's popular food scene. >> Our restaurant is called Gormande. It was a French rotisserie and a wine yard that was set to open about a year and two weeks from today. >> You were supposed to be in this building? >> It was in this little building right here and a year ago today, we took on 26 feet of water. And this little 600 square foot building had a new roof and some stainless steel paneling in it and became buoyant. And floated off its foundation and crashed into the wedge brewery about 100 yards away. And thank God got stuck there. If you notice, the only breakage in the windows, that was from a burglary during construction. So the whole restaurant actually, the windows didn't even break. It was totally full of water. Everything inside was destroyed. But this little guy was built in the 1870s and they built it right. So it's totally structurally sound and now sitting back where it originally was. >> So how does it feel, you two to be back here today? It's a little busy actually. The other journalists here actually, and you see, I definitely hear the sounds of, definitely some trash being hauled away. I guess there's a comeback. >> There is a comeback. I think it's tough because if you look, there's a lot of progress in certain parts and other parts, there's total stagnation. This development, before it was developed, I mean was a totally abandoned piece of railroad property. I think it was one of the coolest spots in Nashville. That's why we saw it out and we're the only ones in town crazy enough to open a restaurant with 600 square feet. But it is at the same time, it's just kind of sucks because the people that aren't under construction right now are just caught up in bureaucracy. In our restaurant, there's nothing wrong with the building. There's a legal loophole in the FEMA flood zone that our landlords are now having to litigate with the city of Asheville. >> And that's why we're sitting here and watching it. But was it always lifted this high? >> It was. It's actually about a foot and a half taller because if you see these steel beams on the top, they actually strap those to the building while it was in its post hurricane location and they were able to lift it up on the new steel beam foundation and crane it back. So it's totally structurally sound. It's done through a full mold remediation, but the city won't give us a permit to rebuild. And it's a similar circumstance that I believe the design building right there in the Plea Bourbon winery, which was totally destroyed. I think the only thing that was left that I saw was a lone toilet on a concrete slab. >> But Marquis is open, right? It's an eye shot. >> And Marquis is the anchor. And I think it's good that they're leading the way to the reopen. That was really what brought people down here. That's something that we were banking on opening a restaurant here is that the Marquis was going to bring a ton of great people. So it's good to see it's been a tough year for Asheville. I've got to think to the people that waited to open till now have made a good decision. And things are looking up. I mean right behind us, there was a three story mound of trash. And I forget the tonnage, like the way that they said a debris that they moved out of here. But it was like tens of thousands of tons of debris was removed from this development over the last year. They've still got a little bit to go, but it's remarkable to see that we're here today. >> Your heart looks heavy. >> It just looks like night and day from what it was a year ago. I mean even a few months ago, I think it looks like night and day. You couldn't really see the parking spaces even like six months ago. So to see down here, it just looks strangely okay. But you know that it's not entirely yet. >> But you're optimistic, even with all the bureaucracy, are you optimistic? >> You're not really. >> Not really. >> Not really. >> Not necessarily about this building. I mean Asheville in general, I would say I'm a little more optimistic. But I think this development has a long way to go. >> What's the plan? You're still cooking though, aren't you? >> Yes. So we cater private shift. We do some cooking classes, it's an awesome little venue up in Caches North Carolina called LaPost. And then we've just been kind of like mercenaries for the last year. We are looking for real estate. A lot of people had restaurants get destroyed. Very few of them get the opportunity to go forward again. So we're being a little bit more particular in our shopping this go around. But Gormonde will reopen eventually. That's I think is an undeniable fact. This building, if I could get into the details of the legalities as to why it's under construction, it's which I can't, it's just so silly. It's one of those little things that like somebody, the mayor, the president, somebody. >> That's what to say, have you called the governor? Have you called everybody? >> We've talked, we're very fortunate. We've been, we've spoken to a lot of people that are in the position to make things change. And they can't. And so now it's up to the lawyers since an unknown amount of time, unfortunately. >> So we're standing here outside, which was supposed to be Gormonde's French Rotisserie restaurant. And you don't think it's going to open. But you own this building, are you thinking about moving it somewhere else? >> We do not own the building, our landlord's own this whole development. We do have a backup plan to loophole this back into service, putting it on the back of an 18 wheeler trailer. And make it like the largest food truck in America. But we'd prefer just to have it be a nice little building. This used to be the office for the tannery here. It actually existed about 150 yards over there and it's original spot. And it's special, it's unique, it's historic. and our landlords will never make a dime off of occupying this little restaurant, but they're really passionate about getting this reopen. And we're very grateful that we have landlords that think like that, that the aesthetics of this on this property aren't important enough to go to battle for. So we want to see it come back, and I think it's important to found the street that it does. And you're not making plans to leave the Asheville area or move to another city or state, are you? No, no, we love it here. And we have great business partners that are local as well. You know, if you looked, we used to live in New Orleans. And if you looked at New Orleans in like 2004, and you looked at it in like 2008, most people in New Orleans would tell you that like post-tutory in New Orleans has kind of been the golden age. You did a bunch of federal money, you did some free demolition, and it's time to like rebuild and get Asheville back on tracks. And I think New Orleans was a good model for that. I think Asheville has nothing but a bright future ahead. Are you making plans for the next month or the next five years? I mean, how does it look? We're kind of taking it day by day at this point. I mean, we're like he said looking at other real estate just because it is kind of a waiting game at this point with the city on this building, particularly. But we're just kind of taking it in strides as it comes. I feel like new things kind of happen every week, so it's all up in the air at this point. Are you able to say how much money you've lost or hopefully still bringing in in some way to make sure this venture becomes a reality? $270,000 got taken by the storm from this building in a storage unit full of restaurant equipment had about another 50 in it that bit the dust. And the only financial assistance we've received outside of what we have crowdsourced and raised ourselves as $375 from FEMA. Thank you so much for joining me. And I'm glad I was here to greet you. You say you haven't been out here in a while and things seem to be looking up a little. Absolutely. We hope we hope it comes back. We love Asheville. We moved here solely because we wanted to live here. And I just want to wish the best to everybody who's still fighting the fight. Can I take your picture? Ah, okay. Let's see. Katie Grayback and Peyton Borrell are the owners of Gormand, a French rotisserie-style restaurant. They still hope to open in Asheville. Coming up, the built more and the push to bring visitors back to one of the most popular tourist spots in Western North Carolina. I'm Leonita Inge. You're listening to Do South on WUNC. You're listening to Do South. I'm Leonita Inge. The hashtag #WesternNorthCarolinaStrong is still a common slogan across the region since Helene, including a sign at the entrance of Built More. Asheville, North Carolina is home of the famous Built More House known as the largest private residence in the country. After Helene, it took weeks to restore full access to the property. There were tens of thousands of fallen trees across the estate's 8,000 acres. Today, Built More is open and back in business and getting ready for fall. You know the ads. There was a time when the Blue Ridge Mountains burst into color. When falling leaves glowed crimson and gold, and the cool breeze reminded us to slow down and take it all in. Before Helene, annual visitation at Built More topped 1 million visitors. Numbers are down at least 30% since last year. Built More is planning for a rebound. This is their busiest time of year. It was a vibrant time. It was fall. This fall at Built More. Welcome. Where are you all from? Can you see the city? Washington City? Welcome. Welcome to Built More House. We're glad to have you here. The Built More mansion was built as the summer home of George Washington Vanderbilt II of the famed industrialist family. The home officially opened Christmas Eve 1895. Chase Pickering is a direct descendant of the Vanderbilt family. He's the great, great grandson of George Washington Vanderbilt II and his vice president of guest experience at Built More. I spoke with Chase Pickering in the downtown Asheville studios of Blue Ridge Public Radio. Chase, welcome to Do South. Thank you so much. It's really an honor to be here with you today. Thank you for what Public Radio did for us as a community here in Western North Carolina right after the storm. It was pretty amazing and important for us. You're welcome. Chase, I'm trying to imagine the Vanderbilt children are the daughter that we so know of and the grandchildren and even the great, great, grand running around and playing in this 250 room mansion. I don't know. Was that you ever? And how old were you when you really realized your connection to this place that many call magical? Yes, I did not grow up and built more house. I did, however, have the honor and privilege of growing up on Built More Estate. And so from a young kid I spent time exploring the woods and the streams around. It's easy to get lost out there. It's pretty awesome. I love getting lost out there. And that's where my love for this place really was sparked early on. And it's an extraordinary property for sure. Do you have a special place on the property? You know, if you just want to spend some time and think I tell you I'd like to lay in those some flowers. Oh my, that's a beautiful site. They are quite spectacular view. I would say my favorite spot is out on the Deer Park Trail as you wander around looking up at these over 100 year old oak trees. And you see the landscape design vision of Frederick Law Olm's dead coming to life. And you look out across the Blue Ridge Mountains and you just take in the rolling hills that inspired my great great grandfather to build his home here. That Deer Park Trail, that is a special place for me being out there in nature, looking up at the house up on the hill. Where were you when tropical storm, Haleen, you know, and the flood water started to really rip through that community. So I was I actually live on property at Biltmore State. And so I was at my home. They're located on the property and I had a site line to the French broad river and could actually see the river rising as the water started to come up. I could see it coming up into the corn. Did you stay? Could you not leave? Did you have to stay put? Does somebody have to come get you? So we had we did have guests and employees on property and at a certain point in in the event we just we put a shelter in place. And so knowing was allowed to go outside of our hotels or their home regardless of if you were a guest or employee. After we lifted that shelter in place, we started to kind of assess the damages and we had quite a bit of the trees down which you described and the waters. I was actually able to use a chainsaw to cut my way out so that I could access some of our other areas. And I was trained to do that and check on some of our other employees and guests so that we could really start to understand the situation. And at that point we had lost cell phone coverage as well. So we had no way to communicate right after the storm. What was your biggest concern? This was happening around you. You had to kind of jump into high gear and really make sure all the people around you were safe. But also that magnificent property was safe. I mean, what did you think about first? We had about 400 guests on property staying in our two hotels and we had several hundred employees that we had positioned on state on the estate because we knew that this was going to be a bad storm. And so ensuring that everyone was safe was priority number one. The second priority for me was really trying to understand and create these access points so that we could have first responders come in and assist if there were. If there was a need for that and then the next priority was getting up to Biltmore House. I had an amazing team who stayed in Biltmore House during the storm. And it took a couple days to actually get up there to them after the storm and they did an amazing job making sure that the house and in the gardens were in pretty good shape. We were lucky there. After the flooding caused by Helene, the Biltmore Estate was able to rebound a lot quicker than the historic Biltmore Village. Much of it was merged in 20 feet of water. How important is the revitalization of the village to Biltmore's continued success? So Biltmore has been ingrained in this community now for 130 years and Biltmore Village was established as part of the original vision of George Vanderbilt. And while it's no longer owned and operated by our family, it's primarily small independent businesses. They are important partners in tourism and an important reason that people. people come to the area. And so immediately after the storm, we reached out to see how we could help. We started with the All Souls Cathedral, which is a beautiful structure that was designed by the architect, the Biltmore House. And we helped them get their archives out and into a safe spot. - Is that still undergoing restoration? - It is, yes, it is still undergoing restoration. And we also reached out to the Merchants Association to see how we could support. Their journey is continuing. But there are exciting signs of hope. One of my favorite restaurants, Corner Kitchen, recently reopened. And it's so exciting to see some of these spots that our community has come to love and know, reopen there in Biltmore Village. We're also really lucky that at Biltmore Estate, a lot of our restaurants, hotels, and shops are all on higher ground. And so we had pretty minimal damage from flooding on Biltmore Estate. And so that's one reason we were able to open very quickly. In addition to the best team in the world, that's how we were able to open five weeks after the storm, is because how our team showed up, even as they were navigating things in their own life, they showed up for us. They knew the importance of getting Biltmore Estate reopen that that would serve as a beacon of hope for the surrounding community, that it was okay for people to come back. We needed people to start to come back and support the economy here in the region. - Well, there's one thing that needed to be done, the entrance, the gate. - Yes. - What, what, what, 20 feet of water? - 27 feet of water flowing through the front entrance. - You could still see the water mark there. - Yes, it was quite a sight to go down there right after the waters receded and to see how much work we had to do. And again, I speak to the team. They were the ones who came up with the ideas on how we would clean this up, how we would really think about, how do we do things different? How do we actually make this entrance better and more compelling? And so we have a new entrance sign. We unfortunately had to remove the 100 year old tulip poplars that were there, and they're now replaced with these, the next generation of beautiful tulip poplars that are already leafing out. And fortunately, the buildings did the test of time, yet again, and another flood. And it was structurally sound, that beautiful iconic arch that every guest drives through as they enter built more estate. And it's now just a beautiful welcome to the experience. - The built more estate is massive. - 8,000 acres. - 8,000 acres. The conservatory, the winery, the gardens. I wanna talk about the trees. When I think tens of thousands of trees gone. - Yes, there were certain areas of the property where the winds were so strong, we had an area of just over 30 acres that was blown flat to the ground. I had never seen anything like it in my life. We were really lucky that we have an incredible arborist team and we have some incredible partners who were able to come help us from all around the nation with the tree work. It was very important work. We knew that we had to do it right and to make sure that the estate would be safe for our employees and our guests to return. And the team did an incredible job navigating. One silver lining of this, we did lose some of our historic white oaks and we were able to turn those into about 850 barrels for our wine program. And we worked with a local company to make the staves that are gonna become a part of this story of our wine. And I think that's a great way to ensure that these trees continue to have a part of our story of Bill Moore. - Chase Pickering is the great, great grandson of George Vanderbilt. Today he serves as vice president of guest experience at Bill Moore. I like to talk more about your job, VP of guest experience. More than one million visitors a year, count on you, Chase. (laughing) - So what do you give them that they definitely will appreciate and take home with them after visiting Bill Moore? - Well, I love my job. I love that I get to work with incredible employees that really deliver the warmth, the hospitality that Bill Moore has become known for. I love the part of my job of thinking through preservation of our historic structures and landscapes. This Bill Moore has been in my family now for six generations and we want to ensure that it stays in our family for generations to come. And so that challenge of how we preserve the estate and also make it a really relevant guest experience. I love that challenge. And I love seeing people's reaction when they're surprised and delighted and seeing them spend time together. Bill Moore has always been known as an oasis a place where people can really slow down and connect with each other. And I think we need that now more than ever. - So when guests come through that grand entrance and take that mile ride up to the mansion, is anything different about any part of the landscape? We talk about the trees going down but will anything be different that they'll experience say if they've been visiting Bill Moore for, I don't know, decades? - The feedback that we've been receiving from our guests is they are just amazed at how beautiful and vibrant the estate is and they really, they're-- - Even after the storm. - Even after the storm, absolutely. And so they really, now that spring and summer have unfolded, it is really quite beautiful and we're not seeing a feedback from our guests that they're noticing much different. The experience that our guests came to love and enjoy is still very much there, very much intact. - I know you are of Vanderbilt but how hard was it for you to really get the job? I hear you had to work other places actually before joining the family business. - That's right. - Tell me about that. - It's really important, you know, I, our family has, we've put together some policies for employment of family members and we have a requirement that you have to work outside the family business before you are part of it. I think it's a really good idea. I worked outside the business for several years. I had the opportunity to work for the primatologist, Jane Goodall and also spent a few years at the Walt Disney Company and both those experiences really were important foundational learning elements for me that I've been able to bring back some learnings and apply them to my work here. - I don't know, like what? 'Cause Jane Goodall is iconic and so is Disney. - Yes, so, you know, growing up on "Builtmore Estate," that's where my love for conservation and nature began. And when I was 15 years old, I had the chance to see Jane Goodall speak when she came to Asheville on her lecture tour. And at that moment as a 15 year old, I was like, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna help support Jane Goodall and her message of conservation and the importance that every individual plays in being a steward of the planet. That's the work that I set out to do really in high school and all through college, volunteering with her, encouraging other young people to get involved in conservation work. And it plays directly into the work that I do now at "Builtmore." - I know land preservation, conservation, just protecting the environment has always been important to your family, especially when you drive through there and you see all the green open spaces. You see farms. - You see that land. - Still a working farm, yes. And even especially after seeing damage caused by the storm, so is "Builtmore" doing anything different to better preserve the area or just really building on things that have been in place for like you say, 130 years? - Yes, so this past year we've planted about 4,000 new trees on the property and we have plans to plant at least a thousand for the next several years each year. So we really wanna make sure that we are bringing along this next generation of trees on "Builtmore" estate. And another piece of that legacy that's so important is "Pisca National Forest." That was originally the core of that, was originally a part of "Builtmore" estate. It's such an important part of our family legacy that that piece of land, it's about 87,000 acres that was originally a part of "Builtmore" that's now "Pisca National Forest." That is preserved for the American people to enjoy forever. And it's a wonderful part of our legacy and I'm so glad now that the Blue Ridge Parkway is fully open around Asheville and you can take that iconic drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway and experience Mt. Pisca and go all the way out to the great Smoky Mountains and now all the way out in the other direction towards Mt. Mitchell. So that is a huge milestone for us here at the anniversary mark for Helene that the Blue Ridge Parkway is open around Asheville. - Do you have a Fitbit? Do you track? (laughing) - How much you probably walk on this estate, across the estate, through the estate of trails? - I do actually track it. I walk miles every day and I love it. You know, even just walking through the house, I love exploring the land. I love walking and talking with people, our employees and our guests. So you're a part of the generation that will be protecting this estate during its next chapters. What? are your hopes for the future when you think of built more and how do you want to leave it for your family? Yeah. I like to describe built-mores business model as one that is for profit for purpose. So we make a profit so that we can reinvest into the preservation of this beautiful place and also into the people that make it so extraordinary. I were also driven by purpose. We have a sense of purpose that all of us that work have built more, that we are a part of a bigger mission, that we are protecting this historic place. We are playing an important role in the economy for our community. And that's really what drives us every single day as we come to work. And my family were always talking about and planning for how do we try to keep this as a family owned and operated business for generations to come. I mean that's ultimately what we want to be able to do is to ensure that this place can be preserved and in our family for as long as possible. I note on your website, it's mentioned you don't get any money from the government. No federal funding. That's correct. How important is that in keeping you know built more? I guess the way that you want it to be into the future. This really leans into this idea that George Vanderbilt had from the very beginning of creating built more as a self-sufficient estate. And I think he spoke, his interpretation of that was really more of growing the food on the estate and ensuring that he had the right infrastructure to support what he was creating. But we interpret it today as how we can also be financially self-sufficient. And we've done that through innovation. We've done that by creating new businesses such as our hotels, our restaurants, our retail products, our wine business. These are all businesses that contribute to the preservation of built more estate. And that's what I love about our business model, one that is for profit, for purpose. And it's quite unique. You don't see it really anywhere else in the world. Chase Peaccharin is vice president of guest experience at Built More. Chase, thank you for such an enlightening conversation. Nice to meet you. It was really great to be on your show. Thank you so much. Coming up, we chat with Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, an efforts underway to boost tourism in Bacom County and the region. You're listening to Do Sound. Did you find the new job? Welcome back to Do South. I'm Leonita Inge. If you're driving or walking through downtown Asheville, it looks like the Asheville many of us remember. One of a kind restaurants at Craft Beer, eclectic art and fashion. During a recent visit, it was hard to miss the Asheville pinball museum on Battle Square. There was a lot of 1970s going on. Forty bright colorful, dinging pinball machines that work. We try to make this space very fun. Obviously it's super colorful and bright and very stimulating here. Zoe King is one of the managers. She says they're glad to be open. So when I think of Hurricane Helene and the flood, did anything happen to this location? So we up here, it was fine. In our downstairs location, the boss, actually the owner, T.C. Debella. He slept on the floor for two nights and basically would wake up every hour, make sure that he got any water out from there that he could and then go back to sleep. All the machines were saved along with about 100 vintage lunchboxes. You know the Beatles, Superman, Dino Might. But that downstairs space remains closed. There are many Helene comeback stories like this one. Vic Isley is counting on it. Vic Isley is the president and CEO of Explore Asheville. We chatted in the downtown Asheville studios of Blue Ridge Public Radio. Vic, welcome to do so. Hello, good to be with you today. I read The Asheville Area is a community defined by creativity and hospitality. That's been an easy sell for generations, I would think. Any changes in how you describe Asheville to the world since the wrath of Helene. You know, today Asheville is still a deeply rooted and ever evolving community that has drawn people to live here and visit here for generations. And I think in the wake of Helene and the days, the weeks and the months and now a year after is it's a more committed community to one another that is really powerful in a way that demonstrates the grit, gumption, and sheer determination and will of Appalachian people. People seem very proud, especially now. Everybody I talked to, they were like, yes, this is what I was doing then. And this is what I'm doing now. So as I wrote around downtown Asheville, I must say, it looks great. Many spots have a fresh new face. Do you have a favorite comeback story? Oh, there are so many. You know, the day following the storm, I came downtown to get internet service to because we know in this business that information is power. And you couldn't really tell anything had happened visibly downtown. However, in the River Arts District, which took 40 years to build in 20 hours to wash much of it away, one of my favorite backyard places in Asheville. A great comeback story is the marquee which housed hundreds of artists and their walls, you know, holding their art. And they just reopened recently. And it felt like everybody in town was there. It was just a joyous moment. I couldn't get a park. It is outstanding. So we really invite listeners to come support our artists community. And what I love about Asheville is that art shows up on walls. It shows up in music. It shows up in food on a plate. It shows up in a, in a, you know, a glass of beer. It is just, it just permeates this community. How do you track tourism in this area? I know there are probably several ways. I mean, how do you track those interested in coming here, like website clicks, that sort of thing? How much did that slow down after all the news about the flooding and mudslides? There are so many ways to track the interest of visitors. Explore Asheville.com is certainly the best place to get information, including right now with fall foliage season. We look at hotel occupancy and vacation rental occupancy. We talk with restaurants and breweries because so many visitors support our creative, creative economy here. And currently, you know, we can see that some businesses are doing better. Then before the storm, we know that most are down about 20% right now. And we see week after week and month after month, those indicators going in the right direction. And that couldn't be more important than in the fall foliage season and coming into holiday season when more than 30% of visitor spending typically takes place here in Asheville in the mountains of Western North Carolina. That's what the built more says. They're counting on people coming to build more Christmas at built more they call it. Oh yes. Christmas at built more the gingerbread competition. We'll be back in the halls of the historic Omni Grove Park Inn. And again, I just could not thank the crews that have been working day in and day out to rebuild and reopen the Blue Ridge Parkway in fall foliage season. So now there are 114 contiguous miles of the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway open from the start and Cherokee all the way through Asheville to Kraggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell. So now all state parks are reopened in Western North Carolina. So how are you getting? I really, are you getting, you know, all of the support you need to bring back tourists to this area? Are lawmakers doing enough? Is Governor Josh Stein doing enough? I know he's made a few trips here. I actually saw him, I think, on the Colbert show. Actually talking about Western North Carolina and Asheville, but are you getting the support you need from lawmakers? You know, we couldn't thank Governor Stein and the first lady enough for how much support both on the ground here in Asheville and Western North Carolina, as well as in in the airwaves in telling that Asheville is open and ready. Also, our partners at visit and see the state tourism office, the General Assembly has given them several additional allocations specifically to Market Western North Carolina. For us at Explore Asheville specifically, you know, Eric Church provided his siren song Carolina to be the music bed for our TV spot. He lent his voice for the voiceover visit in and sees new Western North Carolina TV spots. (upbeat music) - So those are all really important elements of telling our collective story that Asheville and Western North Carolina are open. Vic Eitzley is the president and CEO of Explorer Asheville. Since Haleen, I've become familiar with the term disaster tourism. Have you ever heard of that? And is that happening in the Asheville area now? Has that unfortunate phrase like been a problem? - Unfortunately in my time in community marketing and destination marketing, I was head of marketing in DC following 9/11, the DC sniper anthrax and then the return of cicadas after 17 years. And so unfortunately working in Bermuda in Tampa in subsequent hurricane recovery efforts, it is a phrase that is out there and it is something that in our role, we have 2,000 travel and hospitality partner businesses and about 90% of them have reopened. It's the frontline workers of which I used to be one that really help deliver messaging and stories and their own recommendations of what to do and what to see. So at Explorer Asheville, we have provided our partners to share with their team members ways that they can move the conversation along. We know that people are meaning well to come here and visit and spend their money in our businesses. And we know that they mean well and are well intentioned but asking someone to relive their trauma day in and day out when you're ordering a glass of beer or you're taking, you know, or a service taking your order is not helpful to our frontline workers. So we really encourage the workers to say, thank you for asking and thank you for being here and visiting. Here's where you can go to volunteerism. Here's what you can do to help our community. - Volunteerism. Volunteerism, I've never heard that term. - It is a thing. It is something that has become more important to us and something that is helpful to our community. You know, as much as there've been so many challenges, there have been some bright spots. And one of them is our team has never booked as many conferences, events and groups than we have in the last year in the history of our organization. So companies like the Home Depot, Southern States, American Folklor Society, and even the big South conference baseball tournament is coming here in 2026 and 2027. So our services team works with those groups to have service opportunities with our nonprofits. And we've had a whole page on exploreashville.com that outlines those volunteerism opportunities for individual travelers as well as groups. - I remember after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, everybody was definitely trying to get back to that city for conferences, for family reunions, for big, big parties, even movie filming. Are you worried at all in this area that as the people sign up in the conferences decide to come here, that infrastructure is ready? Our infrastructure is ready, sound and strong. The North Carolina Department of Tourism has, excuse me, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has contributed so much already to roads and infrastructure. Secretary Duffy just announced another more than $1 billion that will be coming from the federal Department of Transportation here. Before we started extending an invitation for people to return to Asheville and Western North Carolina back in November of 24, built more head, put their stake in the ground that they were reopening November 2nd. The next week is when we had the return of potable water, which we never knew we needed to know at that phrase meant. And in civilization here in the United States, and then the following week, historic Omni Grove Park in, reopen their main. And importantly, NC DOT gave us clearance to turn green on the visit NC map, which meant that we had the highway accessibility for visitors to return. And our airport was operational from day one, and we have a brand new airport terminal now as of this summer. - That's a big plus out here. The governor, I think, was here for that as well. When I think of, say, all the workers here, and I have to apologize, I have spoken to some workers wanted to know how they're doing while they're trying to work. I guess that was not good of nice of me to do that. But some of them, they were very nice because we know so a large percentage of the workers in this county and in Asheville, oh my goodness, they all work in the service sector. - You know, I think that even more so than the pandemic, that the wake of Helene has laid bare the interconnectedness of travel and hospitality in our creative economy, that you can make a good living here, working tables, but, you know, busing and doing shifts. And when you're doing that, you can also have three or four days in your art gallery, or your art studio. And so when you don't have those shifts, or you don't have those customers coming in to pick up those shifts, you can't have that time in your art gallery. And so we are really mindful of that in terms of how we, as I say to my team all the time, we have the great honor and responsibility of shining a spotlight on this creative community so it can thrive. And that is really what's so important. And I think now more than ever, you know, we are ready, willing and eager to have visitors come into our community. And we just ask them to do it with love and respect. - I don't think I ask you this basic question. How important are Asheville's tourism numbers to the whole state of North Carolina? - You know, in 2022 and 2023, visitors in Buncombe County contributed $3 billion to the local economy. That's about 20% of our county's GDP. And when you looked at it across the state of North Carolina, we were number three, just behind Mecklenburg County and Wake County. So we definitely punch above our weight in terms of bringing in new dollars to our community, which then, you know, top to billion dollars and wages for our neighbors and residents and contributed mightily to state taxes and local municipal taxes as well. - What do you want tourists to know when they pack their bags? And I'm gonna check out Asheville again, 'cause a lot of folks are just returning, he's aren't they? Do you want them to be a little more cordial? Give bigger, I mean, what should they expect? And what do you need from them right now? - I need from us, right? - I think we're all ready for some joy. And I think that that's what travel brings. Travel doesn't happen unless we as humans want to go experience other places, people and cultures. And I think that hopefully leads us to be better human beings. And it darn sure doesn't happen if there aren't humans to deliver those experiences and tours and services or live music in our community. So I think just bring, bring and be ready for some joy and also bring some money. - Bring them. (laughing) - Bring the credit cards. - I guess then lastly, we talked about businesses and creativity in the arts and even music coming back, but are there any businesses or industries that just won't be here anymore? Not if the people of Appalachia have anything to do with it. And I think that is a great place to end, which is the growing up in the Piedmont of North Carolina and being here in the mountains is just the sheer will of people here. And I think that that has been a part of what has made Western North Carolina a little bit different from the rest of the state. And that's why people should come check it out. - Vic Isley, thank you so much for speaking with me today. - Thanks for visiting Asheville. - Vic Isley is the president and CEO of Explore Asheville. This is Doe South. Doe South is a production of WU&C and a broadcast service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Our producers are Stacia Brown, Coldel Charko and Rachel McCarthy. Daenerius Thomas is our technical director. Aaron Kieber is our executive producer. Special thanks to Sean Rue, Terry Gilday and our friends at Blue Ridge Public Radio. For Jeff DeBerry, I'm Leonita Inge. (upbeat music) ♪ Well here I am part of an ounce ♪ ♪ Just crying on the shoulder down the road ♪ ♪ And I've been driving off the day ♪ ♪ So I ain't my moral compass ♪ ♪ This spinning line for you ♪ ♪ You could take that many different ways ♪ ♪ I had days as black as night ♪ ♪ Time and nights that last years ♪ ♪ I spent a thousand hours on my knees ♪ ♪ Broke down and started craying ♪ ♪ But I was bleeding with the wind ♪ ♪ Just to never feel a difference in the breeze ♪ ♪ They say heaven knows the road is slow ♪ ♪ How the hell would heaven know ♪