The Asheville Tourists

What The Asheville Tourists does

The Asheville Tourists operate a Minor League Baseball franchise founded in 1915 and based in Asheville, North Carolina, making it one of the oldest continuously operating clubs in MiLB. The team competes at the A+ level as an affiliate of the Houston Astros in the South Atlantic League and plays its home games at HomeTrust Park, a 1924-era ballpark that underwent a $40 million renovation completed in 2026 and was renamed under a naming rights partnership with HomeTrust Bancshares.

The team's product surface is built around live professional baseball games delivered through the MLB/MiLB platform stack, which provides ticketing via milb.com and the MiLB mobile app, MiLB.TV live streaming, the tourists.milbstore.com e-commerce merchandise channel, and league-wide broadcast and marketing infrastructure. Around the core game product, the Tourists sell single-game tickets ($14–$22.50), season ticket packages, group tickets, digital flex vouchers, and a youth "Baseball Buddies" program. Premium hospitality inventory includes the Champion Credit Union Club, Mountain Time Suite, Palmetto Bath and Home Bullpen, and Best Buy Metals Pavilion, marketed to corporate and group buyers.

Revenue is generated across four streams: ticket sales (one-time), naming rights and corporate sponsorships (licensing/royalty style multi-year contracts), merchandise (direct e-commerce), and operational/financial support from the Houston Astros affiliate relationship. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer for ticketing and merchandise, combined with a community-led sponsorship strategy anchored by regional partners such as HomeTrust Bancshares, Champion Credit Union, and Best Buy Metals. The team does not disclose revenue, has no identified venture or institutional ownership, and operates with a 25–50 player roster plus a front office.

Name

The Asheville Tourists

Legal name

Asheville Tourists

Website

https://theashevilletourists.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball franchise founded in 1915 in Asheville, North Carolina, operating as the A+ affiliate of the Houston Astros. They play at the renovated HomeTrust Park, selling tickets, merchandise, premium hospitality, and streaming to local fans and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Minor League Baseball

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Hospitality & Premium Experiences (VIP, Suites, Fan Zones) (MPAGAMAJ)

Keywords

• Minor League Baseball
• Professional Baseball Games
• Sports Entertainment
• Baseball Merchandise
• Premium Hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single-game tickets, season ticket packages, group tickets, and digital flex vouchers. Primary revenue driver for the ballpark experience.
2. Naming Rights & Sponsorship: Naming rights partnership with HomeTrust Bancshares for HomeTrust Park, plus additional corporate sponsorships including Champion Credit Union Club, Mountain Time Suite, Palmetto Bath and Home Bullpen, and Best Buy Metals Pavilion.
3. Merchandise Sales: Official team merchandise through the tourists.milbstore.com online shop and in-ballpark retail locations.
4. MLB Affiliate Funding: Financial and operational support from Houston Astros as their A+ level affiliate in the minor league baseball system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Asheville Tourists operate a Minor League Baseball franchise as the A+ affiliate of the Houston Astros, playing home games at HomeTrust Park in Asheville, North Carolina. The organization sells single-game tickets, season tickets, group tickets, and digital flex vouchers, operates premium hospitality venues (Champion Credit Union Club, Mountain Time Suite, Best Buy Metals Pavilion, and The Palmetto Bath and Home Bullpen), and runs a team merchandise shop. Community programs include Baseball Buddies, family-friendly entertainment, and group outings.

Product overview

The Asheville Tourists is a Single-A+ minor league baseball team and affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the South Atlantic League at HomeTrust Park. The organization offers a unified entertainment product centered on professional baseball games, supplemented by diverse ticketing options (single-game, season, group, and flex vouchers) and premium hospitality venues (party suites, club areas, and pavilions) for group events. The portfolio includes direct ticket sales, live streaming broadcasts, merchandise, and community youth programs, all delivered at the 1924-era, $40 million renovated HomeTrust Park in Asheville, North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Game Tickets Individual game admission tickets for fans to attend Asheville Tourists home games at HomeTrust Park. Targeted at individual consumers and walk-up attendees.
• Season Tickets Full-season subscription package granting reserved seating access to every regular-season home game. Designed for committed local fans and repeat attendees.
• Group Tickets Bulk ticket packages for groups, schools, businesses, and organizations attending games together. Includes group seating arrangements.
• Digital Flex Vouchers Redeemable digital vouchers that can be exchanged for admission to any regular-season home game, offering flexible attendance for fans with variable schedules.
• Champion Credit Union Club Premium hospitality club venue inside HomeTrust Park offering elevated seating, food, and beverage service. Targeted at corporate clients and premium fans.
• Mountain Time Suite Private luxury suite at HomeTrust Park available for individual game rental or full-season lease, providing exclusive catered viewing accommodations.
• Best Buy Metals Pavilion Sponsored outdoor pavilion area offering group seating and a casual social setting for fans during games.
• The Palmetto Bath and Home Bullpen Sponsored bullpen-area seating venue giving fans a unique vantage point behind the bullpen with food and beverage access.
• Tourists Shop Official team merchandise store selling branded apparel, hats, and souvenirs at the ballpark and online to fans and collectors.
• MiLB.TV Streaming Live and on-demand streaming of Minor League Baseball games including Tourists broadcasts, available to subscribers nationwide.
• Baseball Buddies Program Youth-oriented community program that gives children a game-day experience including interaction with players, designed for families and young fans.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 consecutive wins demonstrating strong on-field performance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• HomeTrust Bancshares / HomeTrust BankflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 April 2026Naming rights partnership for HomeTrust Park between HomeTrust Bancshares ($4.5 billion asset regional bank with over 100 years of service in Western North Carolina) and the Asheville Tourists. The $40 million renovated ballpark serves as a venue for community events reflecting the bank's strategy of strengthening local communities. The partnership is positioned as an extension of the bank's community-focused mission rather than a traditional sponsorship arrangement.
• Houston AstroscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLB affiliate relationship at the A+ level. The Houston Astros operate the Asheville Tourists as their high-A affiliate in the minor league baseball system, providing player development, organizational support, and talent pipeline connection. The team competes in the Carolina League.
• Champion Credit UnioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNaming rights partner for the Champion Credit Union Club premium seating area at HomeTrust Park, providing corporate branding and hospitality benefits.
• Best Buy MetalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNaming rights partner for the Best Buy Metals Pavilion entertainment area at HomeTrust Park, providing brand visibility and event hosting capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Corpus Christi Hooks: Houston Astros' AA affiliate and sister organization within the same player development system, operating an identical ticketing, sponsorship, and premium hospitality model at a higher classification.
• Sugar Land Space Cowboys: Houston Astros' AAA affiliate — sister franchise within the Astros player development pipeline, operating the same business model at a higher tier and within a larger metropolitan market.

Direct peers

• Kannapolis Cannon Ballers: Another South Atlantic League competitor delivering the same MiLB product portfolio (tickets, premium venues, merchandise, community events) in a similarly sized regional market with a recently developed ballpark.
• Salem Red Sox: High-A Red Sox affiliate in the Carolina League (adjacent before reorganization) running an identical model of ticketed games, season packages, group sales, and ballpark-based corporate hospitality.
• Lynchburg Hillcats: Single-A level MiLB team with the same business stack — ticket sales, premium areas, merchandise, and theme-night marketing — competing for the same regional entertainment dollar as Asheville.
• Wilmington Blue Rocks: High-A minor league baseball team competing in the South Atlantic League (same league as Asheville) and operating an identical business model: ticket sales, premium hospitality, merchandise, and community-led marketing around a host ballpark.
• Bowling Green Hot Rods: Another Astros-affiliated minor league team at a comparable High-A level, sharing identical MLB operational infrastructure (MiLB.TV, shared ticketing platform, MLB.com distribution) and serving a similar small-market community sports entertainment function.
• Hudson Valley Renegades: High-A affiliate (Yankees) operating in the South Atlantic League with the same core offering — ticketed games, group sales, premium suites, and family entertainment — making it directly comparable in category, scale, and revenue mix.
• Brooklyn Cyclones: High-A Mets affiliate running an analogous MiLB operation with comparable ticketing tiers, group sales, themed promotions, and an urban ballpark, but in a much larger market setting.
• Fredericksburg Nationals: High-A Nationals affiliate operating an identical minor league baseball business (tickets, season packages, premium areas, themed nights, merchandise) with a similarly new ballpark, comparable in scale and infrastructure profile to HomeTrust Park.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GoTourists
• Facebookfacebook.com/ashevilletourists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-asheville-tourists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Asheville Tourists