Local business owners give varying accounts of outdoor tourism as a new study details what travelers prefer in Macon County and Western North Carolina.
“We have so many people coming here from everywhere,” said Jackie Sroka of Three Eagles Outfitters. “People from everywhere; camping, backpacking, tourists.”
The Made By Mountains (MADE X MTNS) Partnership released in February the results of its Western North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Participation Survey.
The study focused on 25 WNC counties and the Qualla Boundary, with respondents from North Carolina and neighboring states.
“These results go beyond numbers; they’re a driving force for the region’s progress. Using this momentum, we aim to support a brighter, healthier future for WNC communities and economies. Providing our communities with this data empowers them to tell a complete story to advocate effectively for opportunities to advance their outdoor recreation priorities,” said MADE X MTNS Partnership Director Amy Allison.
MADE X MTNS is a partnership aiming to expand the outdoor industry and economy across the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Two-thirds of the 5,462 respondents said their recent WNC trips were overnight, with a 2.5-night average and a party size of three. Average spending was $479 and 94% of people said they were satisfied with their WNC outdoor recreation experience.
One finding was as the cost of traveling to recreation sites increased, the number of visits to these sites decreased, but people with more income were more likely to take more trips.
Sroka said she feels there are fewer people on the Appalachian Trail than in years past, saying many people like doing quick day hikes. Many of the thru-hikers, Sroka said, are influenced by social media.
In 30 years of business, Sroka said tourism goes up and down year by year, but overall is on the uptick.
Mayurkumar Patel, known as “Frenchy,” the owner and manager of A Sapphire Inn in Franklin, said 2023 was less busy for him, but the hikers are coming back this year.
“Some come to do rock climbing, gem mining, but this time of the year, it’s mostly hikers,” Patel said.
Ernie King, the owner of Fish Tales, thinks that despite the number of people coming to the area and enjoying the outdoor reaction, this year will see a drop in tourism due to a lack of disposable income.
Cory McCall of Outdoor 76 said outdoor recreation continues to show a huge impact on the region.
“Macon County continues to be a driving force,” McCall said.
The study listed WNC’s popular activities as day hiking (50%), nature viewing (46%), fishing (36%), car camping (22%) and mountain biking (16%).
King says he’s seeing customers from non-neighboring states, such as Texas, Alabama, Ohio and Indiana.
“It’s a lot cheaper than [fishing] out west,” King said. “It’s a short drive for most people on the east coast. And we got some premiere fishing waters. We got so many resources and so much of it is public.”
McCall said along with the most popular activities, he’s seen a continued growth in four-wheeling and ATVs in the region.
“Our area’s a hot bed for all of these activities,” McCall said.
Patel said along with hikers, his clientele includes motorcyclists and house hunters. Patel said guests stay in Franklin before traveling to neighboring areas for attractions like the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City or to Cherokee, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
King said his fishing clients and the hikers he sees are interested in seeing waterfalls, hiking and gravitate toward the Little Tennessee Greenway as an inexpensive walk through nature for exercise.
For overnight visitors to Macon, 17% said they stayed in a hotel/motel, 14% in a camper/RV/trailer/van, and 9% each in a private campground and with friends/family.
The study aggregates 139,579 trips to Macon County, bringing in $22.9 million in economic benefit.
“What we’re continuing to see is more people are moving to our area still and we’re seeing a lot of people who are aware of Western North Carolina and Macon County,” McCall said.
In a breakdown of respondents, 6% said they visited Macon County (the highest was Buncombe at 29%, Watauga at 15% and Cherokee County at 14%). The average Macon County stay was 2.37 nights, with 71% saying they stayed overnight, with an average group size of 3.31. And 100% of those people said they were satisfied. Only the Qualla Boundary and Mitchell County also got 100% satisfaction.
The average visitor spends $587.20 in Macon County. Out of that, $134.69 is for lodging, $11.06 at restaurants, $89.14 for gas, $81.29 for groceries, $61.71 for entertainment, $41.37 for gear, $31.31 for “other,” and $14.63 for other travel expenses.
Scott Dimauro, known as “Spidy,” owns and operates The Barn at Hiker Hostel, said around this point of the Appalachian Trail, 110 miles in, many thru-hikers are spending a day or two in the area to recuperate.
“The northbounders are fairly fresh with no previous hiking experience,” said Dimauro, a 2018 southbound AT hiker. Most Appalachian Trail hikers go northbound to take advantage of favorable seasonal changes on the 2,100-mile journey to Maine. “They tend to overpack and carry a lot of weight.”
McCall said he’s heard there’s a high number of hiker rescues in North Georgia of attempted thru-hikers unprepared for the difficulty. And there are always several “overuse” injuries, McCall said, which are typically lower-body injuries.
The estimated $4.9 million in visitor spending in WNC means 48,000 full-time jobs and $1.48 billion in labor income, the study proposes. This generates $197.5 million in regional-level tax revenues.
“I think it’ll continue to grow,” King said of economic tourism in WNC. “It’s an affordable place to vacation.”
Multiple business owners mentioned that presidential election years are unpredictable, regardless of the candidates or political climate, and thus are conservative in their projections.
McCall said even though consumer confidence is lower, it’s been a strong year so far and the outdoor business coalition is working to provide a platform for their businesses.