The Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina are draped in an abundance of colorful blossoms on the trees, shrubs and flowers. The mountain air is filled with a sweet fragrance from all of the flowering vegetation.

It is hard to believe that there is a deadly virus lurking across the globe causing us to stay home.

This is the time of year people start heading outdoors to work in their yards and revel in the area’s many recreational activities. Now that daylight savings time has returned, the days are getting longer so we can enjoy all the amenities mother nature has to offer.

This spring is different. Residents are getting outdoors for exercise, but are having to practice social distancing from others and avoid crowds.

More: PHOTOS: Around Henderson County April 13-17 during the COVID-19 outbreak

More: NC Gov. Cooper: More COVID-19 test supplies needed for Trump’s reopening plan

The year started out strong with a large volume of travelers visiting Henderson County, then shifted downward by mid-March. The robust economic climate totally changed, causing not only tourism-related industries, but all businesses, to quickly refocus the way they generate income.

The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority applauds local businesses for becoming very creative in the way they do business.

Technology has been a big player in keeping things humming along, from e-commerce to how the media reports the news, online learning during school closures, businesses using video conferencing for meetings and even how we stay in touch with friends and family by texting or using Facetime.

HCTDA continues to lay the ground work for when the country opens up again and people begin to move about. Residents are going to be eager to travel once the virus has subsided, but at the moment they have time on their hands to daydream about their next adventure.

The country will more than likely explode with cars hitting the road as travelers forgo overseas travel for a while and opt for discovering America.

They may choose small towns, like Hendersonville, as their vacation destination to avoid crowds in the more populated cities as they desire space to for social distancing.

HCTDA’s annual marketing plan was already in place, before the pandemic hit the U.S. borders, but the marketing strategy quickly refocused toward visitors planning ahead for an overdue vacation. The ads’ “call to action” message has changed; whenever you are ready to travel – choose Hendersonville.

Other marketing components include E-blasts, social media posts and video with similar messages. About half of the marketing budget goes to print advertisements in national and international publications.

Each year, Henderson County advertisements appear in over 60 different publications. Ads have run on the screens in major airports around the U.S. and videos have also been featured in Great Brittan.

Garden Jubilee is one of Hendersonville’s largest events and scheduled to take place on Memorial Day weekend, May 23 and 24. Garden Jubilee is one of the premier gardening shows in the Western North Carolina.

Stay tuned, as a decision whether to proceed with plans to hold the festival will be made by the end of the April. Check the status of Garden Jubilee at visithendersonvillenc.org/gardenjubilee.

HCTDA would like to thank all of the individuals that are keeping Henderson County and America operating. So many have put their lives on the line to help others, and our first responders need to be commended. These are unprecedented times and the elected officials have stepped up to the plate by making tough decisions to protect us all.

Great appreciation should be given to everyone in the medical profession, manufacturers producing needed supplies, truck drivers for moving products across the country, store clerks for stocking the stores, pharmacies filling prescriptions, teachers for educating children remotely, and so many individuals for making a difference by reaching out to their fellow neighbors.

HCTDA has created three informational web pages to keep the public apprised of closures, cancellations, restaurants offering takeout food service, business resources and government restrictions.

This information may be found at visithendersonvillenc.org/latest-news/breaking-news.

If your business has an idea or information that you would like to share, we would love to hear about it. Or if you just need to talk, feel free to contact us by calling 828-693-9708.

We encourage the community to focus ahead for better days, after all we are Western North Carolina strong!