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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FEMA has muddied the water on Haywood tourism recovery
May 28—How is Haywood's vital tourism economy faring in the wake of Helene? It's a tricky question to answer, with only one full season — and winter at that — behind us. It's made all the more difficult by the fact that a key metric to measure tourism was skewed in a significant way by outside forces. Overnight stays in Haywood County were down more than 40% in October on the heels of Helene, compared to October the previous year. Come November, overnight stays had nearly fully rebounded to last year's levels. And by December and January? Overnight stays were up compared to the previous year. But does that mean tourism was up? While overnight stays are typically the barometer for tourism performance, an unusual dynamic was at play. Thousands of hotel room nights were being filled by flood victims. Displaced Helene victims finding refuge in Haywood hotels offset what would have otherwise been a significant drop in overnight stays over last year — and in turn spared the county from a more sizable drop in tourism revenue from room tax collections. Following Helene, overnight stays in vacation rentals — like Airbnb's and rental cabins — saw a sharp decline. But overnight stays in hotels and motels saw a big increase. Only hotels and motels were eligible for the FEMA program to house displaced flood victims. So the increase in that sector, while other lodging sectors declined, coincides with the FEMA hotel housing program. However, it didn't last. By March, the FEMA hotel housing program benefits began wind down — and the true picture of a tourism decline became apparent. Diving into the numbers The 4% room tax collected on overnight stays is down $200,000 — or 10% — between July 2024 and March 2025 compared to the same period a year prior. Room tax collections are how the county's Tourism Development Authority, the TDA, keeps tabs on how many travelers are visiting Haywood and when. "We were predicting that we would be down at least through February or March, so the fact that December flipped to being modestly up is fantastic," said Corrina Ruffieux, executive director of the Haywood County TDA, said earlier in the year. However, it didn't quire come to pass that way, and at first Ruffieux was puzzled why tourism had not only rebounded but increased in the wake of Helene. —October room tax collections were down by 43% from the previous year following the Sept. 27 flooding and landslides that accompanied Helene. —November room tax collections were only down by about 4% from the previous year, a remarkable figure, given the circumstances. —December numbers actually rose, up nearly 3% over the previous year. —January's room tax collections were even more impressive, up around 8% from last year. However, it appears that Ruffieux's prediction inevitably came true. Room tax collection for February dropped by 6% over last year. March continued that slide, dropping 12% from last year. FEMA confuses matters After Hurricane Helene, participants in FEMA's Transitional Shelter Assistance program utilized hotel and motel rooms in Haywood for short-term housing. Displaced flood victims found available rooms and FEMA paid the hotels and motels directly for the cost of the stay. And by extension, it paid into Haywood's room tax, undoubtedly skewing the numbers. As of the end of April, Haywood had no TSA participants booking rooms. While it was obvious Haywood room tax collections had a bump that paralleled the FEMA hotel program, just how much it artificially inflated tourism numbers is difficult to parse out. The data doesn't have as much fidelity as anyone would like. Neither FEMA nor the TDA has access to information about exactly what percentage of room stays booked in Haywood County over the last six months were from TSA participants and which were from regular visitors. However, the TDA does keep room tax stats for four lodging sectors: bed and breakfasts and specialty inns, golf resorts, hotels and motels, and vacation rentals. Normally, vacation rentals make up the largest share of room tax collections, followed by hotels and motels. Hotel and motel stays jumped by 81% in November and 73% in December. And in January — the height of FEMA hotel stays and the month posting the biggest room tax increase — hotel and motel stays were up 113%. Meanwhile, vacation rentals over the same period were down: by 32% in November, 18% in December and January, 25% in February, and 24% in February. Since vacation rentals are usually the lion's share of room tax collections, the loss in that sector were enough to account for the overall room tax dip in February of 6% and in March of 12% — albeit not as bad as it would have been without the FEMA hotel stays. But Ruffieux isn't sounding the alarm bells just yet. She pointed to successful winter events like Ice Fest — which sold 1,000 more tickets than it did last year — and a banner year at Cataloochee Ski Area, which had its second best season of all time, according to Sarah Worrell, director of marketing and public relations for the ski mountain. And, Ruffieux pointed out, while the income-generating short term vacation rentals were indeed down, occupancies in golf resorts and bed-and-breakfasts were up over last year in November, December January, February, and March — sometimes significantly. And one of Haywood's biggest warm-weather activities — Cataloochee Valley — is back open just in time for summer. Whether or not that will affect the ongoing trend remains to be seen.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
To benefit all: Haywood's tourism plan focuses on quality of life
Feb. 17—The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority's 10-year master plan is not just for visitors and the tourism industry. Rather, the plan focuses on quality of life for both visitors and Haywood residents, convinced that what is good for one group will be good for all. The plan, slightly delayed by Hurricane Helene, was presented to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners earlier this month, where the board roundly praised TDA director Corrina Ruffieux's thoroughness, balanced approach, and attention to quality of life for Haywood County residents. The master plan, which will go into effect in 2026, is designed to address Haywood's tourism challenges: Low occupancy rates in traditional hotels, overuse of outdoor resources, lack of recreational access to the Pigeon River, and visitation periods heavily weighted toward summer and fall, among other things. "One of the questions I've been asked a lot is, 'Why did you do this?' And the reason is, because change is coming whether we're ready for it or not," Ruffieux told commissioners. "And so, if we can do our best to have a plan, we can hopefully manage that change so that Haywood County can keep what makes Haywood County so special." Breaking down the plan The plan is broken up into four pillars. Pillar one aims to focus on launching the "Visit Haywood" brand while strengthening the external awareness of Haywood County as a destination. This segment of the plan also zeroes in on attracting visitors who have the "flexibility and interest in traveling mid-week and/or off-season." "I'm sure all of you have heard this — a lot of people say 'no more visitors, there's too many visitors. 'It isn't always about quantity; it's about quality," Ruffieux said. "So, one of the things we want to do is target high-quality visitors. If we can do a good job getting the right visitors to come here and get them to come year-round, it keeps our small businesses up and running year-round and our people working." The year-round aspect of the plan is particularly noteworthy following an extraordinarily slack fall in the wake of Hurricane Helene. In 2023, October occupancy tax peaked at slightly over $400,000. In 2024, that number reached just under $250,000. In the long term, not relying on a peak tourism season will make the overall economy of Haywood County more durable. To that end, the TDA proposes improving recreational infrastructure within Haywood County — with a focus on upgrading access to water-based activities, particularly around the Pigeon River. These initiatives fall under the plan's second pillar: Product development. "Our visitors and our locals said they want to get out on the river. So how do we help make that happen in a safe, effective way?" Ruffieux said. "Agritourism is a bigger part of the picture now than it's ever been. I really hate that we lost the paper mill. That has been kind of a blue-collar bread and butter staple income for our county. But things change. I've heard of people catching trout in downtown Clyde, and I've never heard of that much in my lifetime. That's a draw," Commissioner Tommy Long agreed. Ruffieux also pointed to the state of Haywood's aging traditional hotels, noting that upgrades and improvements there are priorities. The goal is to attract visitors who might otherwise stay in short-term rentals, hopefully freeing up future housing for Haywood residents. Quality of life For Ruffieux and the plan's designers, developing recreational infrastructure is a case of two birds, one stone — many of the improvements that will draw new visitors to the county will also improve the lot of Haywood residents. "To me, it's about elevating quality of life in Haywood County, and my favorite thing to say is, if we make Haywood County a better place to visit, we make it a better place to live," Ruffieux said. The TDA director pointed out other gaps in Haywood's tourism opportunities, namely a lack of indoor or family-friendly activities, the kinds of things that will attract the younger audiences Ruffieux is hoping to see in the county. The mill site predictably came up, with Ruffieux saying she hopes to work with the new owners to develop the property in a way that benefits all stakeholders — including Haywood locals. "I visited the river walk in San Antonio, and they had hotels, motels, restaurants, and tours on boats, and they told about the culture and the history of the town and what all had happened, and I could see something possibly like that along the Pigeon River at the old mill site," vice-chairman Brandon C. Rogers said. Rogers also floated the idea of a museum showcasing the mill's history and impact on the county, referencing the Hershey Story Museum in Pennsylvania as an example of an industry site pivoting to tourism. The master plan's third pillar is outdoor recreation, specifically supporting and promoting the stewardship of the outdoor spaces that make Haywood County such a draw. Planned actions include establishing a destination stewardship committee, developing ways to monitor outdoor resources for overuse, and co-developing an emergency communications plan with Haywood County Emergency Services. This last bullet point shot to the top of the priority list in the wake of Helene, Ruffieux explained. "A living, breathing plan" The final pillar involves the continuing evolution of the TDA as a force for business development and the welfare of the county. The TDA 10-year master plan was a year in the making. It was developed with the input of a 17-person steering committee, the TDA board, 130 community members who attended two input sessions, public land officials, emergency response managers, outdoor recreation stakeholders, and TDA marketing committee members. Originally slated for launch in late September, the TDA postponed the unveiling due to Helene. The final plan was adopted in December. The 10-year master plan is available on but take note: "It's a living, breathing plan, so there will be changes as we go," Ruffieux said.
