Haywood County Tourism Development Authority

Name

Haywood County Tourism Development Authority

Legal name

Haywood County Tourism Development Authority

Website

https://haywoodcountytourismdevelopment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Organization Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administrative and Support Services (561)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism development authority
• Occupancy tax administration
• Visitor information services
• Tourism grant programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Waynesville, North Carolina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Occupancy Tax Collection: The HCTDA collects a 4% occupancy tax on all paid accommodations in Haywood County. This legislatively mandated tax is the primary revenue stream for the authority, which is then allocated to drive overnight visitation through various tourism marketing efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (HCTDA) is a legislatively mandated quasi-governmental entity that collects a 4% occupancy tax on all paid accommodations in Haywood County and reinvests those funds to drive overnight visitation. It promotes the county through VisitHaywood.com, an annual visitors guide (print and electronic), social media channels, and a portfolio of grant programs supporting tourism marketing, capital investments, and event sponsorship across Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley, and Waynesville.

Product overview

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (HCTDA) operates as a unified destination marketing and tourism management organization rather than a product company with distinct modules. The core offerings consist of VisitHaywood.com (the primary digital destination platform) and the Annual Visitors Guide (print and electronic), supported by grant programs including Tourism Promotion Grant, Tourism Capital Grant, Legacy Event Sponsorship Grant, and the One Time Project Fund. Operational services include Occupancy Tax collection (4% mandated tax) and the Haywood County Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. These programs work together to drive overnight visitation and community economic prosperity through destination stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VisitHaywood.com Website

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS): Federal site that is the primary anchor attraction driving overnight visitors to Haywood County. Indirect peer — HCTDA's marketing is largely focused on capturing demand generated by this National Park.
• Blue Ridge Parkway (NPS): Second major federal attraction adjacent to Haywood County. Acts as a demand driver rather than competitor — HCTDA's destination positioning leans on visitation generated by this parkway.

Direct peers

• Henderson County Tourism Development Authority: Adjacent NC mountain county TDA funded by an occupancy tax, marketing Hendersonville and surrounding Blue Ridge communities. Same legislative structure, comparable destination scale to HCTDA.
• Explore Asheville (Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority): The legislatively-mandated DMO for neighboring Buncombe County / Asheville. Same NC TDA mandate, same occupancy-tax funding mechanism, same Blue Ridge / Smokies target visitor. Closest functional peer in role and structure.
• Transylvania County Tourism Authority: County-level tourism authority for neighboring Transylvania County (Brevard area) in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Same NC county structure and destination profile as HCTDA.
• Cherokee / Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tourism Authority: DMO at the eastern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Same destination-marketing mandate for a mountain tourism economy that directly competes with HCTDA for the same Smokies visitor.

Regional players

• Smoky Mountain Host: Regional tourism association covering the western NC mountain counties (including Haywood). A mission-aligned peer promoting overnight visitation and tourism marketing across the same Smokies / Blue Ridge region.

Broad incumbents

• Visit North Carolina (Visit NC): The state-level DMO for North Carolina. A larger incumbent that operates alongside county TDAs like HCTDA, providing statewide destination promotion that overlaps with and complements HCTDA's county-level efforts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haywood-county-tourism-development-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Haywood County Tourism Development Authority