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Over the past decade, tourism has boomed in and around Asheville, N.C., with visitors drawn to the temperate climate, green mountains and beautiful waterfalls of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The number of second homes in the area has multiplied, as have the number of short-term home rentals.
The region was devastated by Hurricane Helene, with at least 196 people confirmed dead in the storm’s path, and roads, towns and homes washed away or severely damaged. For guests and hosts of the western North Carolina’s short-term rental properties, Airbnb and Vrbo have instituted emergency policies about refunds and cancellations, but questions have arisen about the policies, as well as the propriety of visiting a region that has endured such destruction.
Travelers have voiced their confusion on social media, some expressing frustration over the policies or the level of the support they have received from the booking platforms. Others have criticized these complaints as trivial in light of the region’s devastation. Many hosts, meanwhile, have destroyed or damaged properties, missing loved ones, and months, if not years, of recovery ahead of them.
Here’s what to know.
Should travelers visit the region?
According to a statement from Visit North Carolina, the state’s tourism office, visitors should avoid the mountains of western North Carolina. It added that if a travel provider cannot be reached, “you should consider them to be unavailable and delay your trip until you have confirmation they are open and ready to welcome visitors.”
What are the emergency policies now in place?
This summer, Airbnb and Vrbo updated their refund policies to better respond to emergency situations. Under the companies’ disaster policies, a host must refund guests during a covered disruption, regardless of the host’s individual cancellation policies.
Now, after the storm, both companies have activated their emergency policies.
Airbnb has applied its “major disruptive events policy” to affected areas in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, under which “hosts can cancel eligible stays in these areas without consequences, and guests who have an eligible booking in these areas can cancel for a refund.”
Power outages and lack of cell phone service have made it difficult for many guests and hosts to even communicate with one another.
Airbnb’s “Instant Book” function has been temporarily turned off for listings in the affected areas of western North Carolina. In an email sent to hosts on Wednesday, the company said guests must now request host approval before a booking is made to help “ensure you don’t get any new reservations until you’re online and ready to host again.” Hosts can turn “Instant Book” back on, or remove their listings if they cannot accept reservations.
Airbnb said it plans to maintain the policy for the affected areas until at least Oct. 19, and that it will continue to review as the situation changes.
Vrbo, owned by the Expedia Group, is also activating its own “extenuating circumstances” policy for bookings between Oct. 3 and 9, in North Carolina’s Henderson, Buncombe and Transylvania counties and Greenville County in South Carolina. Asheville is in Buncombe County. Under that policy, “hosts must provide full refunds for impacted reservations regardless of their cancellation policy.” For reservations already underway, travelers will be offered a partial refund for the portion of the stay that cannot be completed because of the hurricane. Vrbo will refund the full traveler service fee for affected travelers.
The company, a spokesperson said, will continuously monitor the situation and update policies as needed. Expedia Group is also waiving cancellation fees for affected hotels booked on Expedia and Hotels.com.
What can you do to help?
Tourism has exploded in recent years in Asheville and the surrounding mountain towns. In 2023, Asheville reported record levels for the number of annual visitors — 13.9 million — and the amount of money visitors spent, which totaled nearly $3 billion. Lodging, including short-term rentals, accounted for about a third of that total.
In Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, tourism accounts for 20 percent of the economy and supports 14 percent of the jobs.
On X, formerly Twitter, Matt Van Swol, who lives north of Asheville, offered an unusual way to help: “You want to know how to support Asheville right now?” he wrote. “Book an Airbnb and don’t show up. Everyone in the area is dependent on tourism income. It all just washed away.”
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