Live From IPW: Vic Isley on How Community and Music Drove Asheville's Recovery—and What Else Awaits Visitors

Asheville, North Carolina, is known for many things: a pristine location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an incredible arts and music scene—and more recently, Hurricane Helene, one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. But since the storm hit in September 2024, the town has invested heavily in rebuilding, and it (and most of Western North Carolina) are eagerly welcoming visitors once more. In this special IPW 2025 episode, recorded live from the conference floor in Chicago, Vic Isley—president and CEO of Explore Asheville—sits down with editorial director Billie Cohen to discuss what she loves about living in Asheville and how community has been key to the area's recovery, with restaurants and farms collaborating with distillers and breweries in new ways, musicians signing on for a concert to raise money for recovery efforts, and so much more. What You’ll Learn That Asheville is surrounded by two of the most-visited national parks in the country How community was essential in Asheville and Western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helen About Asheville’s role as a live-music powerhouse Key Moments [01:22] Vic’s top three reasons you should visit Asheville  [03:57] A beloved local restaurant is expanding and opening an oyster bar [05:22] Community collaboration is a major part of Asheville’s rebound after Hurricane Helene [15:07] Why an Asheville rooftop bars tour is a unique way to get to know the city Featured Topics The role that community played in post–Hurricane Helene recovery The importance of building strong relationships with partners Lesser-known ways to explore Asheville Resources Read the transcript of this episode. Find Explore Asheville on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok   Listen to Eric Church’s “Carolina” IPW 2025 conference information Want to plan your own Asheville trip? Here’s where Afar’s co-founders, Joe and Greg, went in January 2025. Hotels The Restoration Radical HotelThe Kimpton Hotel Arras Restaurants and Bars The Draftsman Afterglow Golden Hour The Med Chestnut Huli Sue’s BBQ The Admiral Ukiah Up Next in This Special Live IPW Series Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S Travel Association Stay Connected Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all 20 IPW episodes this week. Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content. Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor. Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights. Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales, where we share first-person narratives of trips that have changed us, and ⁠⁠Unpacked⁠⁠, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week. This IPW 2025 special series was recorded live in Chicago. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media’s podcast network (email [e-mail] if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.