A new research study shows western North Carolina tourism is improving two years after Hurricane Helene. The report by the North Carolina Rural Center shows that following Helene, total visitor spending in the state’s 16 most-impacted counties dropped by more than $300 million.

That spending supports a lot of jobs as well — the region lost several thousand between 2023 and 2025. But according to the report, those losses have slowed.

Made By Mountains Partnership Communications Manager Joanna Brown says conservation organizations and land managers continue their work to provide outdoor spaces that fuel ecotourism in western North Carolina.

"They have been on the ground since the day after Helene," she says. "Just working as hard as they can to restore, to rebuild, to bring all of those outdoor spaces back, but not just back, but back better. We know that these significant weather events are going to continue happening. And we have to look at our infrastructure and build it to be as resilient and sound as we possibly can."

She says that includes stabilizing local waterways by planting native species along the banks and bolstering vulnerable sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway.