Branson greets tourist season with optimism

BRANSON, Mo. -- As Branson braces for the start of another tourist season, business owners in the resort town remain optimistic that this will be their year.

The season officials kicks off Wednesday with the opening of Branson Fest 2002. But it's difficult to link the upbeat attitude to hard numbers. Over the past two years, tourists have increasingly waited until the last minute to make travel plans.

"What we know is that people are now much more likely to make a decision four days out rather than three months out," said Claudia Vecchio, spokeswoman for Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. "People don't plan those two-week-long vacations that they used to take."

There are some indicators:

Advance ticket sales for the 10th annual five-day Branson Fest are even with other recent years when the event drew about 40,000 people, organizers say.

Inquiries for Branson travel information are up this year with an 81 percent jump in January, Vecchio said.

Season pass sales are strong at Silver Dollar City, said spokeswoman Lisa Rau. The theme park -- like other Branson attractions -- is adjusting to appeal to younger travelers. That includes bringing in "VeggieTales," featuring wacky vegetable friends in a singing, dancing, theatrical version of the popular videos that use humor to teach children morality lessons. They're also bringing in "Extreme Stunts on Wheels" with professionals demonstrating stunts on skateboards and bikes.

"These kinds of products are exactly what Branson is saying we want to target and that's the Gen-X families and baby boomer families," Rau said.

Tour groups

Traditionally, Branson Fest attracts an older group of visitors. A majority of show ticket sales are motorcoach tour groups. Angie Greeno, senior tour coordinator for Ozarks Kirkwood Hospitality, has six motorcoaches coming for Branson Fest from as far away as Florida and Louisiana, she said.

A year ago, Branson business owners faced sobering facts in a market study. Visitor numbers slid from 7 million in 1999 to 6.86 million in 2000. First-time visitors dropped 16 percent. And the number of families visiting Branson was the lowest in a decade.

Tax revenue for 2001 shows nearly level growth with the tourism tax up 0.6 percent, city spokesman Jerry Adams said. Figures for the first four months of this fiscal year show that revenue is up 6.79 percent from the same period in 2000, when bad weather caused shows to close in mid-December.