When the PGA TOUR returns to Asheville this month for the first time in 84 years, it will put the Blue Ridge Mountain destination in front of a national television audience.
“We’re really excited to partner with the PGA TOUR and Biltmore to bring the Biltmore Championship Asheville for life,” says Vic Isley, President and CEO of Explore Asheville. The current agreement runs through 2029, bringing the tournament to Asheville for four consecutive years.
The inaugural event, scheduled for Sept. 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, is expected to generate upwards of $10 million in direct spending, according to Isley. It will also receive four hours of live coverage on the Golf Channel, giving Asheville an unusual amount of exposure to golf fans around the country.
Corporate Hospitality Meets the Fairway
And the interest is already apparent in the tournament’s corporate hospitality program. What began with approximately 20 hospitality units has grown to 48, including everything from a pop-up tavern to luxury viewing structures and decks as well as exclusive, standalone-style chalets with interior lounges, F&B catering, private outdoor viewing decks and luxury restroom trailers.
For meeting planners, that growth is worth watching. It demonstrates how a major sporting event can create opportunities for companies to gather clients, colleagues and partners around something more engaging than a traditional reception or dinner.
A Destination Getting Back to Business
The timing is significant for Asheville. The city is continuing its economic recovery following the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024, and meetings and events are playing a role in bringing visitors back.
In fact, Asheville recently hosted the G20 Finance Track, bringing approximately 1,000 attendees from around the world. The event will be followed later in the month by the Outdoor Media Summit, drawing another 500 delegates from the outdoor industry.
“It’s an economic comeback,” Isley says of the current push to bring major events to Asheville.
Meanwhile, the destination’s meetings infrastructure is evolving. The Omni Grove Park Inn is renovating guest rooms and meeting spaces, while Biltmore has completed room renovations. The Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville, which was extensively damaged by the storm, underwent a top-to-bottom renovation and reopened last year with reconfigured meeting space.
Asheville Steps Up to the Plate
Golf may be getting the biggest headlines, but it’s hardly the only sport Asheville is pursuing.
Explore Asheville recently signed a 10-year extension with the Southern Conference to host its men’s and women’s basketball championships through 2035. The agreement has also expanded into what Isley calls “SoCon Week,” incorporating the conference’s Hall of Fame activities and wrestling championships.
The destination also hosts the conference’s women’s volleyball championship and has attracted events such as the NAIA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the Big South Baseball Championship. Those events are scheduled to return in 2027.
“Sports has always been an important part of Explore Asheville and our community’s portfolio,” Isley says, adding that collegiate and amateur sports can bring reliable group business to a destination, particularly when competitions require teams, families, coaches and support staff to stay for multiple days.
Isley says amateur sports was “a big bellwether for us in terms of the group business coming back” after the pandemic.
And Then There’s the Airport
Perhaps the clearest indication that Asheville’s growth isn’t limited to tourism marketing is happening at the airport.
The Asheville Regional Airport now has 26 nonstop destinations and recently dedicated what Isley describes as the newest airport tower in the country. A major terminal expansion is also underway, with the new portion larger than the airport’s entire previous terminal. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Why the investment?
“We have broken records year over year for the last 10 years,” Isley says, noting that the growth is coming from both leisure and business travelers and is primarily inbound.
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