The email began: “As you may/may not know, I live outside Asheville, North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene devastated our entire region more than a week ago.” It went on to say that while my colleague’s family was safe, “so many communities in the Western North Carolina region are still suffering, many of which depend heavily on tourism.”
The person who sent that email was hoping that the travel trade media could help bring attention to the needs of the region. Of course, our editors — many of whom were already working on stories about the devastation — were moved by the call to action. It’s one thing when you hear about the thousands of people affected by a natural disaster, but it’s another when you can put a face (and a family) to it.
We have seen time after time — whether dealing with fires in Maui or hurricanes in the Caribbean and U.S. — that the travel industry is on the front lines of recovery.
As I write this — a little more than two weeks after Helene — another hurricane is headed toward Florida and the Gulf Coast. There’s no telling what new damage Hurricane Milton will do. Or, sadly, the hurricane after that, or the one after that. As we deal with increased storms of greater intensity, widespread chaos to the travel system and beyond seems inevitable.
I have no doubt, however, that travel advisors will rise to the occasion. We have seen time after time — whether dealing with fires in Maui or hurricanes in the Caribbean and U.S. — that the travel industry is on the front lines of recovery by helping stranded travelers and bringing back visitors when it’s safe. And we have proven that we are up to the task.
For now, we can support the groups that are helping in the field. Tourism Cares has shared information about some of the regional organizations that are assisting with Helene’s devastation (see the sidebar on this page). Links to all of these groups can be found in the online version of this article on our website, www.travelagewest.com.
