Tourism board hopeful despite early, slightly downward trends
Jun. 9—As spring marches toward summer, there are troubling signs for the county's tourism recovery following Helene.
The downward trends are reflected across Western North Carolina as a whole, but Haywood County's Tourism Development Authority remains cautiously optimistic that the industry will bounce back to pre-flood, post-pandemic levels, both as news that WNC is open for business continues to spread, and as Haywood's unique features as a tourist destination continue to shine.
That hope, tempered with the reality of economic signs, was reflected in the TDA estimates for how much room occupancy tax it would collect this fiscal year — $3 million. Last fiscal year's estimate was $3.1 million. This year marks the first time since COVID that Haywood's tourism experts predicted a drop in that revenue stream.
According to a document produced by the TDA, this "reflects a return to pre-Hurricane Helene collection levels. It is a conservative forecast based on stable recovery trends, with no assumptions for increased collections."
Uncertain vacations
The estimation came as part of the TDA's vote for a proposed budget for this fiscal year.
Prior to the vote, the board discussed the nature of Haywood's — and WNC's — Helene recovery trends. One worrying factor is a downward turn in advanced bookings for short-term vacation rentals through the busy summer season.
In a comparison with last year's advanced bookings (as collected on May 19, 2025, and May 19th, 2024) July is down 20%, August down 19%, and September down 21% in Haywood County.
This trend is mirrored in most WNC counties, said TDA Executive Director Corrina Ruffieux.
" This aligns with Visit North Carolina's perception data that about 20% of visitors to North Carolina still think all of Western North Carolina is not open and ready for visitors," she said.
However, an uncertain economy is also playing a part. The time between booking dates and actual stays has decreased from a historical average of just under two months to around one month, Ruffieux said. This reflects tourists' uncertain outlook on the economy — people are less willing to book vacations as far in advance as they used to. The TDA generally believes that this leaves them the opportunity to continue messaging throughout the summer, hopefully with the result of attracting visitors in the short-term.
And, Board Chair Jim Owens pointed out, things may not be changing anytime soon.
" That's the whole point of us wanting to be aggressive with our messaging. Keep the message going out. Let them make a decision, whether it's a week from now, two weeks from now, whatever," he said. "I think we're gonna have to live with this for a while."
A matter of perspective
On the other hand, while room occupancy tax collection has suffered in the wake of the storm, the fallout has been far from catastrophic, especially when viewed from a wide perspective.
While the 2024-25 fiscal year still has a few months left, it looks as if it will end up below the last few years but still well above pre-pandemic levels.
Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years, room occupancy tax collection in Haywood County increased by over $1 million and has remained high since.
The TDA speculates that the same things that attracted folks to Haywood County during and after the pandemic — peaceful settings, free outdoor activities, and space to spread out and unplug from the chaos of everyday life — will still factor in during an uncertain economic climate.
"We feel really optimistic in Haywood County because of our experience through Covid," said Finance Committee Chair Mike Huber. "So your finance committee was trying to be very fiscally responsible but also, we know that Haywood County is really a sanctuary for people who need to get away. So we do believe that we're gonna see a little bit different experience than some of the other areas that are getting hit hard throughout the broader region. So we think we've brought before you the best fiscally responsible budget, but also with some optimism."
A bullish outlook
"I'm not saying this is going to be our best year ever, but I've been pretty bullish on our recovery, and I think that feeling was pretty common amongst both the finance committee and the executive committee that we have an opportunity here," Owens said, before sharing a story from his days as Vice President of SeaWorld Orlando.
As layoffs hit the auto industry in Detroit, Owens recalled, more Michigan license plates popped up in the SeaWorld parking lot than ever before. His point was that even when suffering from job loss and economic pressures, people "didn't buy a new car. They didn't get a new washing machine, but they sure as heck were not gonna give up getting their mind back where it belongs," he said. "So I think we're in a similar place."
The proposed TDA budget for the year running July 2025 through June 2026 is set at $3.95 million, with $3 million of that coming from Haywood County's 4% room occupancy tax. N.C. House Rep. Mark Pless has proposed a bill increasing the amount of room tax collection to 6 percent — after first writing the bill to eliminate it altogether — but the future of that bill remains unknown.
A public hearing to receive comments on the proposed budget will be held on June 25, 2025, at 9 a.m. in the Gaines Auditorium at Bethea Welcome Center, 91 N Lakeshore Dr., Lake Junaluska.
Individuals who wish to speak at the public hearing should contact Hayley Printz at Hayley@visithaywood.com in advance to be added to the agenda.
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