Hoteliers naturally feel they should control the hotel tax because it’s paid by their guests, not the local citizens. However, better decisions come when all those impacted by tourism are involved. As a member of the Tourism Development Authority, my role is to promote Asheville as a desirable place for tourism. A side benefit is a more desirable place for those who live here.
Tourism supports local retailers, restaurants, entertainment, recreation, and art venues, as well as the business community. However, locals don’t want their town over run with tourists. There are solutions. One possibility is to focus on multi-day tourists. After visiting our downtown, they move on to other areas of interest including the River Arts District, The Biltmore House, etc.
Spreading out our visitors will reduce congestion and make downtown more enjoyable.
The TDA has just committed $3.8 million to city projects to fund greenways, city soccer fields and the city owned Nature Center plus an additional $700,000 for educational and research projects. The growth in tourism should allow the TDA to spend a larger portion of the tax revenue on these kinds of projects as time goes on, projects that will improve the quality of life for all of us.
Baby boomers are retiring at a fast pace. This, along with an improving economy, is creating a tourism boom. Not just in Asheville, but in Charleston, Savannah, Florida, and many other places. Our focus needs to be on finding a balance between tourism and our quality of life, between growing our tourism industry and funding capital projects to make our community a better place for all.
John McKibbon has been in the hotel development business in Asheville for 20 years and a resident for 5 years.
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