Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF)

Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF)

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, through the Tourism Product Development Fund (TPDF), has provided more than $86 million through 64 investments in 41 community projects since 2001.

These range from greenways, sidewalks, public art, parking, bike lanes and landscaping in the River Arts District to family attractions like the WNC Nature Center and Pack Square Park; the arts such as Black Mountain College Museum + Art Center and Asheville Community Theatre; sports and recreation including the McCormick Field and John B. Lewis Soccer Complex; and culture and heritage such as the YMI Cultural Center and WNC Farmers Market.

Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund

To help local businesses begin to recover from the pandemic and save jobs, legislation signed into law in May 2020 by Gov. Roy Cooper allowed the Buncombe County TDA to appropriate $5 million from unallocated monies in the Tourism Product Development Fund to establish a one-time emergency relief grant program.

In just weeks, a total of 394 local small businesses and nonprofits that provide a direct visitor experience were awarded grants of up to $50,000 through the Buncombe County Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund to help safely restart businesses and support nearly 4,800 jobs .

One year later, 97% of grantees were still in operation. Read more here.