Turf divisions in the Haywood County tourism industry are melting away on more than one front these days.

At the same time the Maggie Valley Visitors Bureau and the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce have committed to a merger, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is poised to do away with a controversial system of dolling out tourism dollars to promote individual sections of the county.

By Lee Shelton • Guest Columnist

There has been much discussion about attracting more motorcyclists and motorcycle rallies to the Maggie Valley area as part of the tourism efforts. I understand that the TDA recently committed funds to this endeavor. This comes against the backdrop of complaints by county residents about motorcycle rallies — primarily concerning the noise and congestion — and the rebuttal, by supporters, which are most often focused on asserting that “good people” ride motorcycles, and they raise money for charities.