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Counties 'WANT, no NEED' fall tourists, congressman declares

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 20, 2024

Many have wondered whether the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene means that North Carolina mountain counties are able to handle the flock of fall visitors who ordinarily account for an economic boom.

Yes, they can, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards said in his daily update on the storm's aftermath on Friday, the three-week mark since the natural disaster.

"Over the past 21 days, I’ve sent out daily updates focused on what Western North Carolinians need to survive, but today, I want to focus on something Western North Carolina as a community needs to keep going: Visitors," Edwards said.

"I don’t have to tell you this, but fall is peak season for visitors in Western North Carolina. It’s where most of our revenue comes from that holds folks over until next fall. From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 last year, visitors spent more than $2 billion in our mountains. That’s nearly $23 million per day. Almost 47,000 Western North Carolinians directly rely on tourism for their jobs, and local governments, which are facing steep rebuilding costs, rely on fall tourism for millions in local tax revenues."

"PLEASE visit Western North Carolina this fall and winter. Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Transylvania, and parts of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford counties are all open and WANT, no NEED, to see visitors return," he said. "While our communities were shaken by Hurricane Helene, the beauty of our mountains was not. We need your support now more than ever. So, I encourage you to please, come see for yourself."

Edwards initially omitted in his invitation counties that were particularly hard hit and still suffering from ongoing transportation and water and sewer issues but one day later he reported that "all of Western North Carolina is open for business" including Buncombe County.