Gas prices soar, tourism still in good spirits

The recession and painful gas prices are putting a damper on tourism and traveler's spirits all over the country, but Asheville seems to offer a balm for both.





Never fear, East Coast travel-lovers! Can't afford to fly to Europe (man the Dollar-to-Euro ratio is a bummer right now) and don't want to spend the money to drive great distances? Asheville is a great place to visit when trying to keep your travel cost low but still wanting lots to see and do.

Asheville, for those who don't know, offers a combination of activities to suit any desires:
Culture - art galleries, performances, festivals, shopping, historic sites
Outdoor activities - hiking, swimming, rafting, Blue Ridge Parkway
Pampering - Tons of spas, outdoor hot tubs in Hot Springs, NC
So, no matter what you are looking for in a destination, a trip to Asheville and WNC can be molded to whatever kind of trip you want to take.










Never fear, Asheville! Looks like the tourist industry is "cautiously optimistic" about this year's tourist season, pretty much for the reasons listed above ("Tourism will likely stay strong despite economy"). Asheville is a really wonderful place (we know, we chose to live here!) that is convenient to a lot of people in the South East, or even up and down the East Coast.

This is pretty pertinent to those who live here, too. The more money tourism brings in, the more locals get to take advantage of the festivals, traveling Broadway performances, great bands, and other fun things that brought us all to Asheville in the first place. So, if this subject interests you, check out the Asheville Citizen-Times linked above.