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Autumn colors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Photo credit: Adobe Stock/Sean Board
Businesses in North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains region are losing thousands of dollars in the wake of Hurricane Helene as tourists avoid the state or cancel plans to visit.
A new NBC report reveals that small businesses that cater to tourists, as well as those that serve locals, are losing thousands of dollars.
Local authorities had advised visitors to avoid the hurricane impacted region in North Carolina while emergency responders were working to asses casualties and repair infrastructure. But at the same time, businesses in the Swain County region of the Great Smoky Mountains, which rely on tourism are desperate for revenue, the news outlet has reported.
Swain County brings in more than $2 billion per year in tourism revenue. And businesses in the region are walking a fine line between needing revenue and not wanting to be insensitive to neighbors who were hard hit by the devastating hurricane, NBC reports.
Some 70 people were killed by Hurricane Helene in Bryson City, which is the largest town in Buncombe County. What’s more, residents there have been lining up to simply get groceries or shelter.
Still local businesses in the area describe a “second catastrophe” in the making – an economic one.
Business owner Gianna Carson, who runs a bakery and vacation rental, told NBC she has lost more than $15,000 since Hurricane Helene.
“There are some towns beside us that have had some very catastrophic damage,” she told NBC. “But for us, the damage is going to come a little bit later, when everyone does not come.”
Meanwhile, The Folkestone Inn, a 10-room hotel, has reportedly lost more than $10,000 within three days. That’s due to as at least 32 people canceled reservations through October, the property’s co-owner told NBC.
Isaac Herrin, who runs a boutique retail shop in the region told NBC: “The reality is, people can access our town fine, and by the end of this week about 90% to 95% of our businesses will be reopened,” Herrin predicted. “Our streets are clean now.”
Herrin said the local businesses will not be able to remain afloat with revenue from local patronage alone.
This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.