Downtown Visitor Trends – December 2025
Out-of-market visitation to Downtown Asheville totaled 588,500 in December, marking a clear increase from November’s 531,300 and aligning more closely with October. While October had more out-of-market visitors, December had more visitors overall and was in fact the most busy month of 2025.
One of the clearest patterns this month was sustained elevated visitation between Christmas and New Year’s. From December 1–24, downtown averaged approximately 36,400 visits per day. Following Christmas, visitation increased sharply, with December 26–31 averaging nearly 51,600 daily visits—a 42% increase over earlier December levels.
Evening activity was particularly strong throughout the month. Downtown visits did not begin declining until after 8 PM, well after nightfall—a notable trend for December. This extended evening presence likely reflects the impact of This extended evening presence likely reflects the combined impact of our Winter Lights installations in Pritchard Park, Pack Square Park, and Triangle Park, along with the our Winter Windows competition, which appear to be encouraging visitors to stay later despite shorter days and colder temperatures.
Average evening peak visitation reached approximately 12,900 visitors, higher than November’s 11,900 and well above September’s 9,900. While overall December volumes were similar to October, this level of evening engagement underscores how winter programming can rival peak fall conditions in terms of downtown vitality.
The extended downtown workforce was estimated at 15,800, while the resident population remained stable at 2,300.
Taken together, December’s trends point to a downtown that remained active throughout the holiday season, with strong post-Christmas visitation, later evening activity, and clear momentum heading into the new year.
These insights, gathered through the Asheville Downtown Improvement District, help guide future investments, inform seasonal programming, and support local businesses as downtown continues building year-round resilience.
