Haywood TDA’s destination master plan focuses on the future
Tourism remains a critically important component of Western North Carolina’s economy. To ensure it remains strong well into the future, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is fine-tuning a forthcoming destination master plan that focuses on underutilized assets and what visitors seem to really want — authenticity.
“Visitors don’t want us to change,” said Don Anderson, of Destination Consultants International, during an Aug. 6 presentation of the TDA’s draft destination master plan at Haywood Community College in Clyde.
Anderson, responsible for brand strategy, is one of several consultants who contributed to the plan. Mitch Nichols of Nichols Tourism Group and Bobby Chappelle of Travel Impact Services were also on the project team, focusing on the plan itself.
Work began on the plan late last year under the purview of a 17-member steering committee. Consultants gathered input from 78 stakeholders in all five Haywood County communities along with more than 80 members of the public who participated in the first community input session back in March. Specialized workshops were held with public land officials, emergency response managers, outdoor recreation stakeholders and the TDA’s marketing committee. Input surveys were completed by 96 travel media entities, 1,100 past and potential visitors, more than 300 Haywood County stakeholders and 26 elected officials.
An aspirational draft vision statement, looking a decade down the road, expresses the desire for Haywood County to be “renowned as the authentic destination in the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains” that offers “diverse, year-round experiences” that preserve both the natural and cultural heritage that make Western North Carolina such a unique destination.
The plan contains four strategic pillars focused on supporting stewardship of the county as a destination.
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Strengthening brand awareness helps maintain a strong base of high-value visitors that spend more money in the county than an average visitor, bolstering year-round income for workers and businesses.
Enhancing the TDA’s evolution into an organization that advocates for a more resilient tourism economy ensures that the industry is inclusive, equitable and benefits the entire community.
Preserving natural resources and promoting Southern Appalachian culture, which is perhaps Haywood County’s biggest selling point, keeps visitors coming back.
Diversifying product offerings not only benefits locals but also leads to a stronger property tax base.
The plan spends a lot of time examining this last point — Haywood’s tourism infrastructure is somewhat dated and doesn’t fully realize the resources available, especially in the outdoor recreation realm.
“You’ve got this amazing water-based recreation environment right here, but it’s just not been activated,” Nichols said.
Nichols was referring to the Pigeon River, newly liberated from the decades of abuse and pollution suffered at the hands of paper mill owners — most recently, Pactiv Evergreen — in Canton.
Since the mill closed last June, the river has experienced a remarkable rejuvenation in a short period of time. Fish populations “exploded” shortly after the mill closed, and the environmental violations that became commonplace under Pactiv — more than 20 in two years — have stopped, for now.
The tiny but centrally located town of Clyde stands to benefit more than most communities, as it sits at the confluence of several important existing or proposed assets, including the river, Haywood County’s greenway, River’s Edge Park and the Hellbender Trail. New canoe put-in spots and possibly a riverside amphitheater would boost access to and enjoyment of what‘s currently an overlooked gem in the heart of the county.
But the entire county could benefit from a critically-neglected segment of assets that don’t yet exist, namely indoor activities that help keep families entertained and out of the rain that can pop up almost anywhere in this temperate rainforest at a moment’s notice. Indoor rock climbing walls, bowling alleys and children’s museums were specifically mentioned, and since they don’t yet exist, the TDA appears eager to court those types of businesses.
One final area of focus demonstrating the TDA’s long-term view of Haywood County also involves the mill and its redevelopment — tourism planners want to ensure a visitor perspective is included in whatever happens on the 185-acre mill site. Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers has expressed a desire for some sort of outdoor recreational component to the redevelopment, but it’s largely out of his hands; a private entity has executed a letter of intent to buy the parcel from Pactiv, but the deal is still in the due diligence phase and isn’t guaranteed to result in a sale.
Local leaders are eager for the parcel, which once provided roughly 1,000 jobs, to return to productive use. Until it does, tourism will play a more critical role in the county’s economy.
According to the TDA, 42 cents of every dollar spent in Haywood County during 2023 came from visitors. Some of that eventually makes its way into local government budgets. TDA Executive Director Corrina Ruffieux said that number for 2023 was more than $13.1 million. Without it, property taxes would have to increase in order to maintain the same level of services currently performed by local governments.
The plan, which is still in draft status, will be finalized in the coming weeks and presented to the TDA’s board in September.
