Destination Master Plan
The 2026-2035 Destination Master Plan
The latest Destination Master Plan details where Haywood stands today, where we want to go, and the strategies that will get us there. From strengthening our brand to diversifying our tourism offerings to preserving the natural and cultural heritage that makes this place worth visiting, the plan serves as a guide to the HCTDA and stakeholders throughout the County.
Adopted by the HCTDA Board of Directors on December 4, 2024.
Interim recovery plan
Following Hurricane Helene, the DMP Advisory Planning Team developed an interim framework to bridge the gap between urgent recovery needs and the long-term goals of the Master Plan. The framework breaks recovery into manageable phases, allowing the HCTDA to address immediate priorities while staying aligned with the DMP's objectives.
Why do a destination master plan
In recent years, Haywood County's tourism landscape has shifted considerably. The community faces several challenges, from changes in visitation patterns following the pandemic, to expanded competition from other nature-based destinations across the Southeast, to significant economic changes locally with the closure of Evergreen's Canton mill.
These realities prompted the HCTDA to take a fresh look at how to best present Haywood to prospective visitors and guide the destination toward long-term, sustainable growth. The result is the Destination Master Plan,a roadmap for where we're headed and how we'll get there together.
How we made the plan
Through a competitive international selection process, the HCTDA assembled a team of destination experts: Development Counselors International, Tourism Impact Services, Destination Consultancy Group, and Nichols Tourism Group. Together, they provide deep experience in destination branding, tourism strategy, and sustainable destination evaluation.
The destination branding process unfolded over ten months in four stages, starting with extensive research that included stakeholder focus groups and online surveys targeting travel media and visitors. These insights informed the brand and messaging strategy, leading to the creation of the Visit Haywood brand and logo. Simultaneously, a master planning effort was conducted, focusing on four key elements and guided by a 17-member Steering Committee composed of political leaders, industry experts, and land management representatives.
As the research phase concluded, the HCTDA shared preliminary findings with the broader community in two public sessions. Those presentations are available to download below.
See the plan milestones
The Haywood County Destination Master Plan is more than a vision—it is an active roadmap guiding our work every day. Since its adoption, Visit Haywood has made significant progress in implementing the plan through strategic marketing, destination development, stewardship initiatives, and community investment.
In 2024, Visit Haywood launched a new brand after over a year of research and consultation with visitors, partners, and DCI marketing agency, to draw more visitors to the area.
Visit Haywood’s multi-channel promotional campaigns won awards for creative execution and collaborative community marketing from the Southeast Tourism Society.
In 2026, Haywood launched a new modern, mobile-first website offering a personalized, search-driven experience for users.
Massively popular, Fat Burger Month inspires restaurants across the county to create over the top burger specials. This event has successfully driven more foot traffic to local businesses during the shoulder season.
Existing grant programs have been realigned to support the four core Destination Master Plan pillars with the aim of attracting more overnight visitors, enhancing infrastructure, and boosting community quality of life.
In partnership with the National Park Services and local conservation allies, massive efforts to reconstruct trails, repair boardwalks, and control erosion in Graveyard Fields have begun.
What began as a localized winter gathering in Maggie Valley has grown into a multi-day event attracting visitors from afar every January in shoulder season.