Asheville

What Asheville does

Explore Asheville, operating under the legal entity Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA), is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Buncombe County, North Carolina. Established in 2001, the organization is a government authority funded by Buncombe County hotel occupancy taxes rather than by commercial revenue or shareholder capital. It serves two distinct constituencies: out-of-market travelers and event planners seeking comprehensive Asheville travel information, and approximately 2,000 local tourism-related businesses and nonprofits that receive free marketing support through the Explore Asheville platform.

The core product surface is anchored by ExploreAsheville.com, a Simpleview-powered travel website covering attractions, events, dining, accommodations, itineraries, and trip planning tools, complemented by the Explore Asheville mobile app on iOS and Android. Supporting service lines include free wedding planning assistance, meetings and conference RFP support with 48-hour familiarization trips, sports tourism coordination (managed by a dedicated Director of Sports, Film & Entertainment), group tour operator resources, and printed visitor guides distributed via Saga City. Digital marketing is executed through CrowdRiff for visual asset management, MMGY for travel marketing analytics, Miles Partnership for destination marketing services, and Act-On for email automation, with active social media presence and PR operations led by a four-person communications team.

The business model is a publicly funded marketing authority rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue consists of hotel occupancy tax allocations collected across more than 9,200 hotel rooms in the county, which are reinvested into destination marketing, partner support, and community capital projects via the Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF, over $100 million deployed since 2001), the Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund, and the Always Asheville Fund. Strategic positioning emphasizes Asheville's Blue Ridge Mountains identity, arts and music culture (recognized by Rolling Stone in 2025), and accessibility to half the US population within a day's drive, with active international marketing into UK, German, French, and Spanish markets.

Name

Asheville

Legal name

Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority

Website

https://exploreasheville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Explore Asheville is the official government-funded Destination Management Organization for Buncombe County, NC. It markets the Asheville destination to travelers and event planners via ExploreAsheville.com, mobile app, and free partner support to nearly 2,000 local businesses, funded by hotel occupancy taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF), National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA), Accessibility & Inclusion Services (ADA Access, Adaptive Programs, Multilingual Support) (THAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information
• Destination management
• Travel planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Explore Asheville is the official Destination Management Organization for Asheville and Buncombe County, NC. It operates the ExploreAsheville.com travel website and mobile app providing comprehensive visitor information on attractions, events, dining, and accommodations, and offers free planning services for weddings, meetings, sports events, and group tours while delivering free marketing support to nearly 2,000 local tourism businesses.

Product overview

Explore Asheville is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Asheville, NC, operated by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. The organization offers a comprehensive digital platform centered on the ExploreAsheville.com travel website and mobile app, providing visitors with trip planning tools, event calendars, and destination information. Supporting services include wedding planning assistance, meeting and conference planning, sports tourism facilitation, and group tour operator resources. The organization also administers community investment programs including the Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF), Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund, and Always Asheville Fund. Explore Asheville provides free partner marketing opportunities to nearly 2,000 local businesses, connecting visitors with accommodations, attractions, dining, and experiences across Buncombe County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Explore Asheville Official Travel Website The official ExploreAsheville.com travel website published by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, providing comprehensive visitor information including things to do, events, attractions, dining, accommodations, and trip planning tools for travelers to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• Explore Asheville Mobile App Mobile application for trip planning in Asheville, available for download on iOS and Android platforms, allowing travelers to plan trips from their devices.
• Partner Marketing Program Free marketing opportunities for local tourism-related businesses in Buncombe County, providing listings on ExploreAsheville.com and exclusive advertising opportunities. The program supports nearly 2,000 local businesses and nonprofits.
• Wedding Planning Services Complimentary assistance helping couples find overnight accommodations for wedding guests, along with insider recommendations for rehearsal dinner spaces, venues, florists, and entertainment. The process involves submitting accommodation request forms to receive hotel bids.
• Meeting and Conference Planning Services Professional support for meeting planners including RFP submission, venue selection, incentive programs, and group experiences. Services include 48-Hour Familiarization trips and connection to local suppliers.
• Sports Tourism Services Sports event planning assistance including site selection, planning details, and connecting events to the community. The Director of Sports manages relationships for sporting events at venues like HomeTrust Park, Harrah's Cherokee Center, and The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.
• Group Tour Operator Resources Resources and support for group tour operators including downloadable Group Tour Profile fact sheets, itineraries, group experiences, and toolkit with FAQs.
• Visitor Guides and Destination Materials Physical and digital visitor guides and destination materials available for request, including the Official Visitor Guide and specialized guides for weddings.
• Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF) Community investment fund administered by BCTDA that has surpassed $100 million in total community capital investments since 2001, supporting tourism infrastructure development in Buncombe County.
• Legacy Investment from Tourism (LIFT) Fund Fund supporting community investments and workforce development initiatives in the Asheville area.
• Always Asheville Fund Community investment fund supporting local initiatives and resilience efforts in the Asheville area.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SimpleviewcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite and CRM technology provider powering ExploreAsheville.com and partner portal systems
• Act-OncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmail marketing automation platform used for newsletter distribution to subscribers
• Saga CitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for physical visitor guides and brochures via mail
• PGA TourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of new Biltmore Championship event debuting in 2026 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove; four-year contract for professional golf tournament bringing major sporting events to Asheville
• Biltmore EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Biltmore Championship PGA Tour event; major Asheville attraction and tourism partner
• The Cliffs at Walnut CovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGolf course venue hosting the Biltmore Championship PGA Tour event
• Southern ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10-year championship events partnership for basketball and other collegiate sports hosted at Harrah's Cherokee Center-Asheville
• Big South ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year agreement for Big South Baseball Championship hosted at McCormick Field in 2026 and 2027
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected Asheville as host for 2026 and 2027 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
• Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA)coreOthersParent organization that funds and governs Explore Asheville; allocates hotel occupancy tax revenue to tourism marketing and community investments; TPDF has surpassed $100 million in total community capital investments since 2001
• North Carolina Tourism ConferencemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual industry conference held in Asheville focused on future travel promotion, destination development, digital marketing, technology, and sustainable tourism

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Visit Denver: Visit Denver is the official DMO/CVB for Denver, Colorado. It shares Explore Asheville's exact operating model — destination marketing, partner network, event/wedding/meeting planning services — at a larger urban scale, making it the closest functional peer.
• Travel Portland: Travel Portland is the DMO for Portland, OR, with a comparable craft-food/beverage/artisan cultural brand, similar outdoor-recreation content pillars (hiking, nature), and parallel partner-marketing programs for local businesses.
• Visit Seattle: Visit Seattle is the official DMO for Seattle, sharing Explore Asheville's full service set (meetings, weddings, sports, group tours) and a comparable mountains/water/culture outdoor proposition, at a larger urban scale.
• Visit Nashville: Visit Nashville (a.k.a. the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp) is a DMO/CVB with an analogous music-city cultural brand position, similar meeting/event/wedding service lines, and a comparable tax-funded operating structure.
• Visit Santa Fe: Visit Santa Fe is a CVB of similar size and creative/cultural brand positioning. It serves a comparable small-city arts/culinary destination with an identical official-DMO operating model and partner-marketing structure.
• Visit Austin: Visit Austin is the official DMO for Austin, TX. It mirrors Explore Asheville's stack: official destination website, wedding/meeting planning services, sports tourism division, and partner marketing program for thousands of local businesses.
• Visit Savannah: Visit Savannah is the CVB for Savannah, GA — a southeastern destination with a comparable arts/culture/culinary proposition, similar wedding and group-tour service lines, and a same-region competitive set for drive-market travelers.
• Explore Charleston: The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau operates as Explore Charleston's official DMO. It is a near-twin of Explore Asheville in product scope (lodging, dining, attractions, weddings, meetings) and in southern-drive-market orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Visit California: Visit California is a state-level DMO that operates at broader geographic scale than Explore Asheville but with the same destination-marketing model, paid-media expertise, and global brand-building mandate.
• Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is the dominant global travel-discovery and review platform that increasingly competes with DMOs for traveler attention and partner marketing dollars — relevant as a broader incumbent shaping Explore Asheville's value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VisitAsheville
• Facebookfacebook.com/Asheville
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitasheville

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asheville