Downtown Visitor Trends – January 2026
January is traditionally a quieter month for Downtown Asheville, and 2026 followed that seasonal pattern. Looking at multiple years of data helps provide context for this month’s activity.
In January 2026, Downtown saw 842,500 visits, up modestly from 802,400 visits in January 2025, but still below 867,000 visits in 2024 and the post-pandemic peak of 888,900 visits in 2023. These figures show that while visitation is recovering from pandemic- and storm-related disruptions, winter activity has not yet returned to pre-pandemic or pre-storm peaks. January also featured a clear spike on January 17, when downtown saw 54,044 visits, well above the surrounding days. This surge coincided with several concerts and events, illustrating how targeted programming can dramatically increase winter foot traffic.
Key insights from the historical data:
Recent declines highlight lingering effects of disruptions: Visits dropped in 2021 (pandemic) and 2025 (post-Helene recovery), and while 2026 shows a modest rebound, visitation has not yet returned to pre-pandemic or pre-storm peaks, indicating room to strengthen winter engagement.
Workforce and residents remain stable: The extended downtown workforce was 15,100, and the resident population remained 2,300, suggesting that lower winter visits reflect seasonal behavior rather than changes in who lives or works downtown.
Repeat visitation matters: Downtown sees roughly 2 visits for every unique out-of-market visitor, highlighting the importance of repeat foot traffic in supporting businesses and activating downtown streets.
Looking forward:
January 2026 reinforces that downtown remains relevant even in winter, but also highlights an opportunity to grow engagement through targeted programming, seasonal events, and winter placemaking efforts. Strengthening winter activity can help close the gap to historical visitation levels and support local businesses during traditionally slower months.
These insights, gathered through the Asheville Downtown Improvement District, provide valuable guidance for planning winter events, promotions, and investments to sustain downtown vitality year-round.
