<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=28Pu3b_0vjxZmf100" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=28Pu3b_0vjxZmf100" width="1000" height="563" > Pop quiz: Which of these three did visitors spend the most on in 2023: food + drink, retail shopping, or lodging? <a class="Link" href="https://www.ashevillecvb.com/3bvisitoreconomicimpact2023/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> The answer might surprise you </a> — as might learning that, in 2023, visitors generated $3 billion for Buncombe County and supported one in every seven jobs. As visitors continue to grow local livelihoods, Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority have been hard at work to balance the quality of life for residents with the improvement of visitor experiences through $96 million invested in 51 community capital projects. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> A testament to that work: their <a class="Link" href="https://www.ashevillecvb.com/wp-content/uploads/TowardDestinationStewardship_Digital-Final.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> new framework for sustainable growth </a> . Released just in time for <a class="Link" href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/tourism-day/background" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> World Tourism Day </a> ( psst: that’s today), the framework outlines: <ul><li> The organizations’ <a class="Link" href="https://www.ashevillecvb.com/explore-ashevilles-strategic-imperatives/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> strategic imperatives </a> , born out of 100+ community listening sessions. </li><li> A breakdown of visitor spending (and how it benefits the region). </li><li> The framework + success-benchmarks for working toward <a class="Link" href="https://www.ashevillecvb.com/wp-content/uploads/TowardDestinationStewardship_Digital-Final.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> destination stewardship </a> , with an emphasis on community investments, visitor dispersal, responsible travel, and fostering creativity and diversity. </li></ul> Ready to peek into the future? <a class="Link" href="https://www.ashevillecvb.com/wp-content/uploads/TowardDestinationStewardship_Digital-Final.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> See the framework </a><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

See Explore Asheville + Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority's newly-released framework that breaks down the positive impacts of visitor spending and establishes benchmarks toward destination stewardship in the region.