Tourists can responsibly travel to these Western North Carolina towns

It’s a tricky question. After a popular tourism destination suffers a devastating event such as a wildfire or hurricane, do you stay away to try to let the area recover or visit to inject much-needed tourism dollars?

Hurricane Helene destroyed many areas of Western North Carolina, where typically tourists flock in the fall to take in its spectacular natural beauty.

However, many towns were unaffected and visiting them can help with recovery efforts in the area. The website, Visit North Carolina, added an NC Southern Mountains section to help visitors determine where they can responsibly travel and support local economies.

– Staff report, The Travel 100