Clampitt ceases effort to legislate Swain TDA changes
New bill includes 2% occupancy tax increase
Smokies, Parkway visitors spend the most in the NPS, study finds
According to the recently released results of the National Park Service’s newest peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis, in 2022 North Carolina was yet again home to the nation’s two top parks for visitor spending — the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Canton’s outdoor economy growing, with help from state
It’s only been open for about a year, but Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park has already proven a popular, unique regional outdoor recreational attraction — even though it’s still growing.
Tourism dollars fund Jackson capital projects
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has selected two projects to be funded with occupancy tax dollars — one in Sylva and one in Dillsboro. Both projects are intended to benefit both residents and tourists alike.
As local icon Miss Maggie embraces a new generation, she seems as fresh as ever
There are many things that come to mind when folks think of Maggie Valley.
Haywood TDA names new executive director
Haywood County’s Tourism Development Authority will enter a new era with the announcement of an executive director to replace the retiring Lynn Collins.
“I am extraordinarily excited to move to Haywood County, learn more about what makes the destination special and immerse myself in the community as I work to bring national attention to the region,” said Corrina Ruffieux (pronounced “roof-E-air”).
Downtown Waynesville Commission looks forward to big year, bigger footprint
After the implosion of the 36-year-old Downtown Waynesville Association back in 2021, much of the progress made by its successor organization has been organizational in nature and has taken place behind closed doors.
Booming Times, Busted Budgets: Growing visitation strains resources in and around the GSMNP
Christine Cole Proctor was home alone with her big sister at the family cabin on Forney Creek when she heard an unfamiliar rumble climbing the isolated mountain road. It was a car — the first they’d ever seen scale the rugged route.
Sylva reins in short-term rentals
New short-term rentals in Sylva will only be allowed as an accessory use to an existing dwelling, not the only residence on a lot, after the board unanimously voted to approve a revised ordinance on the issue last week. The move is part of an effort to address affordable housing, a problem plaguing many communities in the region.
Counting cars: Smokies updates decades-old visitation estimator
Anybody who’s been to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the last few years has seen it — overflowing parking lots, mobbed trails and narrow mountain roads lined with cars. They’re visual symptoms of a national park bursting at the seams with unprecedented levels of visitation, hitting a highwater mark in 2021 at 14.1 million visits.
