Asheville Fall Tourism, Good or Bad?
Marshall Alvarado | Oct. 7, 2025
The autumn season brings the time when multicolored leaves start falling and a cool breeze flows through the mountains. In Asheville, North Carolina (N.C.), this means it is a time for tourism. While this tourism brings in necessary revenue to local businesses, it also has its downsides. Tourists often come to Asheville hoping to do some leaf peeping on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile-long stretch of scenic roadway starting from Rockfish Gap, Virginia, and ending at Cherokee, N.C. Another big attraction is admiring the recovering River Arts District (RAD), the recently reopened vibrant community full of galleries and collectives, once again filled with more than 700 artists. Despite this, there have always been complaints about tourism in Asheville from many locals, ranging from concerns about how tourists drive within the city to their perceived lack of respect for the city.
Chloe Raines, a senior who was born and raised in Asheville, commented on how she had a distaste towards tourists who visited, especially because tourists struggle to drive within the city. In addition, she also mentioned how her parents have talked about the impact that tourism has made here in Asheville over the past 20 years, acknowledging the importance of the small businesses that have emerged along with the tourism boom.
“Downtown wasn't a place that you would go to because it was not a safe spot to hang out,” Raines said. “It was not anything like the way it is now; there weren't all the tourist shops. Since it's become a tourist town, it’s still not safe to walk around there by yourself or at night, but people hang out there more and go there all the time now. It's always full of people. There are a lot of small businesses that wouldn't have been there without the tourism.”
Emmet Clements, a junior who has been living in Asheville for the last two and a half years, remarked that they felt that the tourism in Asheville had many benefits, with contributions towards the local economy and the upkeep of the city being maintained to keep its image tourist-friendly.
“Tourism really is what keeps us going, especially when more affluent people come to the area and help contribute to the businesses and the economy,” Clements said. “That really does keep the programs running, keeps the parks open, keeps the streets clean, that kind of thing, which is vital to continue that cycle of people coming back. We need to have amenities and places to be able to stay open.”
Last year, Asheville was still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene during the autumn tourist season. Explore Asheville, part of Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, and Buncombe County’s Destination Management Organization (DMO), inspires travelers to visit the Asheville area and supports the tourism and hospitality industry. Explore Asheville showed that tourism contributed $2.65 billion to the local Asheville economy in 2024, down from nearly $3 billion in 2023, given the disruption of Hurricane Helene.
Regardless of what many thought of tourism, when asked if their thoughts had changed after the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the response varied; there was acknowledgement that tourism was needed to help the local economy and there was also an agreement that some tourists had returned with a lack of recognition of the effects Hurricane Helene had on the community.
Raines expressed her frustrations with the insensitivity of some tourists who came after the hurricane, but acknowledged that, despite this ignorance, tourism was needed at the time.
“I was having some really frustrating feelings about the tourists after the hurricane,” Raines said.” Some people were going online and complaining about not being able to come for their vacation, and there were some who were shaming us for not expecting it and not being more prepared. For a while, I thought, ‘Okay, these people need to leave us alone, don't come here.’ But we need the revenue. We need the money. I would like them to be more respectful, but we need them here, regardless of how respectful they are.”
Celeste Gate, a junior who has lived in Asheville for eight years, described her disappointment over the insensitive posts that were being published during the hurricane. She feels that tourists were using the photos and videos of the disaster as a way to get views and attention online.
“I remember seeing back when the hurricane happened, this [kind of] tourism coming in and checking it out, thinking it's interesting, because this big natural disaster happened,” Gate said. “In my opinion, it was quite disgusting, because it's very insensitive. It hurts knowing that people are looking at this thinking, 'Oh, this is gonna get clicks. This is gonna get views,' while we're out here suffering from what had happened.”
Clements voiced his thoughts on what tourists could do to be more sensitive and respectful in the way they approach visiting Asheville. They spoke about the need to be considerate when visiting places that have been heavily impacted by natural disasters.
“It all just comes down to being a conscious tourist and knowing what is available to support, where there are good places to go,” Clements said. “If you're going out to Black Mountain, it's still in its transitional phases. You're talking about people's livelihoods; it takes a long time to build that back. Even if it's possible, things are different. For people coming back who have visited before, just know that it's gonna feel completely changed around.”
Explore Asheville has a page within their website named Love Asheville from Afar, showcasing a list of local businesses and non-profits that people who are looking for ways to help after Hurricane Helene can support. Visitors are able to browse by categories varying from food and drink to outdoor and wellness. Through the site, visitors can find local shops they may be interested in supporting that were affected by Hurricane Helene while still being sure that their spending is going to a good cause.
While tourism may be important and prominent in Asheville, many locals advise that tourists approach the city with a respectful attitude, acknowledging that their vacation spot has been through a lot because of Hurricane Helene. Although Asheville may not be the same, it is still a place to visit, filled with stories to hear and views to be admired by all.