Asheville tourism leader’s statement on HB2: Our city is warm and welcoming

Share
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

Asheville’s tourism leaders on Wednesday announced plans to counteract the negative effects of North Carolina’s new state law known as HB2. (Background here.) The plans include posting a new video and a statement from Stephanie Pace Brown, head of Asheville’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, on the CVB’s exploreasheville.com website. Here’s the statement, which doubles as a direct response to anyone contacting the CVB regarding HB2.

Thank you for contacting us to express your feelings about HB2.

We assure you that Asheville today is the same warm and welcoming community it was before this legislation. People from all walks of life have found their way here and have been met with the same embracing openness that entices them to stay.

The Asheville City Council adopted this vision statement in January: “Asheville is a welcoming city that thrives on diversity and equality. We take pride in our unique character and openness to all, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, familial status or disability.”

The City Council also passed a resolution that you can read here. Our Chamber of Commerce echoed that sentiment as well, stating that discrimination, in any form, is unacceptable, noting that tolerance is the very fabric of who we are as a community.

More than 25,000 people in our small mountain city depend upon tourism for their livelihoods and remain committed to delivering life-enriching experiences to everyone who visits. This includes many LGBT-owned local businesses who are also concerned about all aspects of the legislation, including the economic toll it could take.
As the general manager of one local LGBT business publicly and so eloquently wrote in response to the boycott: “Please don’t abandon us; we need your support now more than ever.”

We understand that now may not be the time that you choose to visit, but, know that we welcome you any time.

Sincerely,

-Stephanie

Stephanie Pace Brown

Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
36 Montford Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
P: 828.258.6104 | C: 828.214.5141
[email protected]

www.ExploreAsheville.com

Asheville’s Brand Promise (adopted 2005)
We guarantee you a life enriching experience each and every time you visit Asheville. It’s personal, personal to you. And it is personal to us. We live this same genuine experience and want to share it with you. We empower you to discover a collection of experiences that is as unique and varied as each individual who visits an allow you to do so in a warm, embracing and creative environment.

Tags::
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

You Might also Like

5 Comments

  1. Matt April 29, 2016

    It’s kind of like sanctions…

    Reply
  2. Tim Peck April 29, 2016

    “You know a thing or two about “manufactured partisan political agitation”, don’t ya, Tex?”

    I know it when I see it and I laugh when I see it backfiring on progressives.

    Reply
    1. Matt April 29, 2016

      Manufactured, eh? I guess if you see people uniting over a cause that you don’t like, it’s “manufactured.”

      Reply
  3. chris April 28, 2016

    You know a thing or two about “manufactured partisan political agitation”, don’t ya, Tex?

    Reply
  4. Tim Peck April 28, 2016

    “…wrote in response to the boycott: ‘Please don’t abandon us; we need your support now more than ever.'”

    It must really suck when manufactured partisan political agitation comes back to bite progressives in the butt. Doesn’t it?

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Stories