The quiet leader behind Haywood's tourism success story

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Jun. 1—The long-time executive director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has announced she will retire by year's end, closing out an era marked not only by dizzying growth, but an ever-evolving tourism landscape.

During Lynn Collins' 14-year tenure, she led the tourism industry through nothing short of a revolution.

When she took the helm in 2009, AirBNB was a fledgling start up, but is now one the biggest sectors in Haywood overnight stays. Tourism advertising was done in the pages of magazines and newspapers, but now comes in the form of embedded digital video ads and social media influencers. And measuring tourists' habits relied on surveys — now, the TDA tracks tourists' movements through cell phone geolocating.

"It tells us everything we need to know about what you did while you were here," Collins said of the mobile data analytics.

The results during Collins' leadership speak for themselves: room tax collected on overnight lodging has nearly tripled since 2009. It's on track to top $2.5 million this year.

"When you look at the numbers, that tells the story. We've had tremendous growth," said TDA Chairman Chris Corbin of the Waynesville Inn and Golf Resort. "We have come leaps and bounds since Lynn came on. She is leaving us in a really good spot."

Collins' time at the TDA hasn't been all peaches and cream, however. She has led the county's tourism industry through some tough spots: the Great Recession, rockslides blocking I-40, a government shut-down of the Parkway and Smokies, and COVID.

"There are always challenges, and you have to constantly look for ways to adapt and navigate your way through it," Collins said.

Collins is known as a workaholic to those around her. She hasn't taken off more than a couple days at a stretch in her 14 years — let alone a two-week vacation. As for her bucket list of travel spots post-retirement?

"I'm not to the point where I can think about that yet," Collins said. "I have seven months to go and there's a lot to be accomplished between now and then, and that's my focus right now."

Chief on her to-do list before leaving is completing a strategic destination plan to carry Haywood tourism into the next decade. The last strategic plan was crafted in 2014, and every goal on it has now been checked off save one — an almost unheard of feat in the world of strategic plans.

But to Collins, not following through wasn't an option.

"That was the whole point: how do we move forward and have a bigger impact?" Collins said.