What Jackson County TDA does

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA), also doing business as Jackson County TDA and Discover Jackson NC, is a quasi-governmental destination marketing organization established in 2013 by Jackson County, North Carolina. JCTDA's mandate is to promote tourism across the county's eight mountain communities — Sylva, Cashiers, Cullowhee, Dillsboro, Glenville, Sapphire, Balsam, and Cherokee — and position the county as a distinct Blue Ridge Mountain destination relative to competitors such as Asheville. The organization is governed by a board composed of local hospitality-industry voting members (including hotels, vacation rentals, restaurants, and outdoor recreation businesses) and ex-officio members representing Jackson County government, with the current board chair being Dale Collins of Tuckasegee Fly Shop. Operational leadership rests with Director Nick Breedlove. JCTDA operates two physical visitor centers (Sylva and Cashiers) under co-location arrangements with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce, respectively.

JCTDA's product surface centers on the DiscoverJacksonNC.com platform — a digital tourism and content management system powered by Simpleview, providing trip planning, accommodation booking via Book Direct, event listings, trail guides, town information, and visitor guide downloads — alongside a printed and digital free visitor guide, the Jackson County Ale Trail (120+ craft brews), and the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail (15 mapped trout spots). Supporting products include the Tourism Capital Project Fund (TCPF) grant program, which provides leveraged investment to local tourism projects on quarterly application cycles, and event programming such as Concerts on the Creek, Greening Up the Mountains, Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, Mountain Heritage Days, and Lights and Luminaries. Marketing channels span the website/blog, organic social (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn), email newsletter, and visitor guide distribution. Target visitor segments include leisure travelers, outdoor enthusiasts (hiking, waterfalls, fly fishing, scenic drives), wedding parties, and group/meeting planners.

JCTDA is funded entirely through occupancy tax levied on short-term rentals and lodging accommodations, currently at a 4% rate and increasing to 6% effective July 1, 2025. The authority has 17 employees and operates from offices at 773 W Main St, Sylva, and 98 Cope Creek Road, Suite D, Sylva. The organization has been recognized by USA Today as a Top 10 Destination for Fall Foliage and holds the NC's Trout Capital designation. As a government state entity, JCTDA has no parent company, no traditional equity funding, and no public ticker.

Name

Jackson County TDA

Legal name

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority

Website

https://discoverjacksonnc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jackson County TDA is a quasi-governmental Tourism Development Authority that promotes eight Blue Ridge Mountain towns in North Carolina through the DiscoverJacksonNC.com platform, two visitor centers, and event programming, funded by a county occupancy tax on lodging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA), Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF), Scenic Lookouts & Natural Landmarks (Waterfalls, Canyons, Rock Formations) (THAJACAD)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Visitor information
• Travel content marketing
• Tourism development

Headquarters

HQ city

Sylva

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Occupancy Tax Collection: Jackson County TDA is funded through occupancy tax levied on short-term rentals and lodging accommodations. Property owners collecting occupancy tax from guests remit these funds to Jackson County, which allocates a portion to support TDA operations for advertising and promotion of the county as a tourist destination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jackson County TDA operates as the official destination marketing organization for Jackson County, NC, promoting tourism across eight Blue Ridge Mountain towns through the DiscoverJacksonNC.com website, free visitor guides, visitor centers, themed trails (Ale Trail, Fly Fishing Trail), and event coordination. It is funded through occupancy tax collections from short-term rental properties to advertise and promote the county as a tourist destination.

Product overview

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority operates as a destination marketing organization offering a suite of tourism promotion products and services. The core offering is the DiscoverJacksonNC.com website and free Visitor Guide, which provide comprehensive visitor information about eight mountain towns in Jackson County including attractions, lodging, dining, outdoor activities, and events. Additional products include the Tourism Capital Project Fund (TCPF) grant program for tourism development projects, the Jackson County Ale Trail showcasing craft breweries, and the Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail featuring trout fishing locations. The organization also facilitates occupancy tax collection and provides business resources for tourism-related partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DiscoverJacksonNC.com Destination Marketing Website Official destination marketing website for Jackson County, NC providing visitor information on attractions, events, lodging, dining, outdoor activities, and trip planning resources across eight mountain towns.
• Free Visitor Guide Printable and digital visitor guide providing comprehensive tourism information about Jackson County attractions, towns, and trip planning resources.
• Tourism Capital Project Fund (TCPF) Grant program providing leveraged investment in tourism projects that increase visitation, attendant spending, and economic impact for Jackson County, with quarterly application cycles.
• Jackson County Ale Trail Craft brewery trail featuring multiple breweries with over 120 brews on tap, showcasing local craft beer throughout Jackson County.
• Western North Carolina Fly Fishing Trail Trout fishing trail mapping 15 prime spots to catch brown, rainbow, and brook trout in the crystal-clear streams of the Great Smoky Mountains region.
• Visitor Center Services (Sylva and Cashiers) In-person visitor information services provided through the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center in Sylva and the Cashiers Area Chamber & Visitor Center in Cashiers.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jackson County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor CentercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-located visitor center operation in Sylva providing tourism information, visitor guides, and trip planning assistance. The Chamber and TDA collaborate on tourism promotion and visitor services.
• Cashiers Area Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSecondary visitor center operation in Cashiers providing tourism services and local business connections. Joint promotion of Cashiers area attractions and events.
• Nantahala National ForestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal forest land partnership enabling access to Whitewater Falls, forest therapy trails, and backcountry recreation areas within Jackson County.
• Simpleview Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform provider powering discoverjacksonnc.com. Simpleview provides the CMS, CRM, and digital infrastructure for the destination marketing organization's online presence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Simpleview: Technology vendor providing the CMS/CRM powering discoverjacksonnc.com; relevant ecosystem peer given JCTDA's dependence on this platform for digital distribution.

Direct peers

• Visit Cherokee NC: Tourism authority for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and adjacent Swain/Jackson counties — highly comparable as a Western NC mountain DMO with shared outdoor and cultural heritage positioning.
• Explore Asheville: The DMO for Buncombe County / Asheville, NC — directly comparable as a Blue Ridge Mountains destination marketing organization operating visitor centers, content sites, and event promotion in the same competitive set.

Regional players

• Macon County TDA / Visit Smokies: Southwest NC mountain county DMO with comparable fly fishing, Nantahala outdoor recreation, and small-town charm positioning adjacent to Jackson County.
• Transylvania County Tourism: Neighboring Transylvania County DMO (Brevard area) with strong outdoor/waterfall positioning — directly competes for outdoor and scenic-drive travelers in the southern Blue Ridge corridor.
• Haywood County TDA / Smoky Mountain Way: Adjacent Western NC mountain county DMO with overlapping outdoor (waterfalls, trails) and craft beverage positioning; competes for the same drive-market leisure traveler in the Blue Ridge.
• Cherokee County TDA: A county-level DMO with similar funding model (occupancy tax) and similar scope; useful as a peer for budget/scale benchmarking even though geographically adjacent to NC.

Broad incumbents

• Visit NC (Visit North Carolina): The statewide DMO for North Carolina — sets overarching destination marketing strategy and provides co-op funding/partnerships that flow down to county-level TDAs like JCTDA.
• Blue Ridge Parkway Association: Non-profit association promoting travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway — a core scenic asset for Jackson County and a natural channel partner/co-marketer.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS): Federal operator of the nation's most-visited national park, which directly borders Jackson County — comparable as a destination-driving entity and a major driver of lodging demand in the area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/discoverjacksonnc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/discoverjacksonnc
• Facebookfacebook.com/discoverjacksonnc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jackson-county-tda
• Instagraminstagram.com/discoverjacksonnc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Jackson County TDA