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Measures of local tourist activity continue to show the strong growth that began in October 2003. Passenger traffic at the Asheville Regional Airport ended April up 26 percent from a year earlier. The latest totals mark the sixth straight month with double digit increases. Hotel/motel sales in Buncombe County are up 11 percent for the year, $26.6 million higher than at this point last year. The Asheville Metro area's unemployment rate returned to the lowest rate in the state at 3.4%. Initial jobless claims in the four-county Asheville metro area are 21 percent below the number a year earlier. According to the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, claims in March 2004, the most current monthly figures available, totaled 1,936, down from 2,752 claims in March 2003. Among counties in the metro, Henderson experienced the biggest drop in claims at 36 percent fewer. For the first three months of 2004, initial claims are down 22 percent. This marks the fifth straight month with declining claims compared to a year earlier for the Asheville metro. The trend is positive statewide as well, with total claims down 25 percent in March and down 23 percent for all 2004. The Asheville metro reported the lowest unemployment rate among all North Carolina metros in March after a two-month breather in which the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro listed rates 0.1 points lower. Asheville held the lowest rates for the previous 21 straight months. Asheville's current rate of 3.4 percent is well below the state's 5.3 percent rate, and the nation's 6 percent. In-Migration Drives Local Population Growth Recently released estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau covering the three years since the 2000 Census, shows in-migration contributing 99 percent of the additional change in population for the four-county Asheville metro. The amount is markedly higher than the 58 percent portion attributed to in-migration statewide. In-migration from outside the U.S. supplied roughly one-fourth of the total in-migration flow in the Asheville metro and statewide. New Directory Details Region's Manufacturers The Asheville Metro Business Research Center has completed the first of its kind comprehensive directory of manufacturers in Western North Carolina. The directory of over 850 manufacturers in the 23 county regions contains in-depth product and contact information for each firm. Unlike other directories, the research center collected most of the data directly from the manufacturers themselves. The directory is available in print or CD versions, and can be ordered by calling (828) 258-6137. Annual Metro Economy Outlook on June 3 Progress Energy presents the fifth annual Asheville Metro Economy Outlook. Join us for a presentation of the latest economic trends and opportunities in the Asheville area, which will be offered on Thursday, June 3, from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel located at One Thomas Wolfe Plaza. Tom Tveidt, director of the Asheville Metro Business Research Center, will lead the fast-paced, one-hour analysis of the local economy. The event is free to Chamber members, $5 for all others at the door. Networking begins at 5 p.m. Register by calling (828) 258-6137. Note: In June 2003 the Office of Management and Budget announced a new expanded four-county Asheville metro, which includes Buncombe, Madison, Henderson, and Haywood counties. Data not specifically identified as reflecting the new four-county metro is for the old two-county metro area, which included only Buncombe and Madison counties. (Photo Courtesy of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau)
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