Springfield grows into destination city

In fact, according to a 2004 CVB Tourist Information Center Survey, only 10 percent of visitors are on their way to Branson.

Because of changes on the tourism scene, he added, Springfield is a destination in its own right.

Local offerings include Bass Pro, which came on the scene in the early 1970s, and now brings in an estimated 4 million visitors per year.

Bass Pro’s neighbor, Wonders of Wildlife American National Fish and Wildlife Museum, opened in 2001 and anticipates 220,000 to 225,000 visitors in 2005.

Another attraction, an IMAX theater on the Bass Pro/WOW campus at Campbell Avenue and Sunshine Street, is slated for completion in spring or summer 2006.

Other local attractions include Fantastic Caverns and Jordan Valley Park – with Hammons Field and the Springfield Cardinals.

“We’ve added other attractions along the way,” Kimberlin said. “There’s been a number of improvements at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, (there’s) the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (and) I could just go on and on.”

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame opened to the public in 1994, and boasts 40,000 visitors each year. In April, the hall unveiled its newest exhibit, “The Boy and The Man.”

Improvements at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport, which had 321,218 passengers year-to-date as of May according to CVB statistics, seem to be bringing more people to the city. Year-to-date as of May 2004, CVB numbers showed 257,762 airport passengers.

And while Springfield is by all rights now a destination city all it’s own, that’s not to say that Branson attractions haven’t impacted the local tourism industry.

“We did a lot of, initially, piggybacking on what Branson was already doing, especially Shepherd of the Hills and Silver Dollar City, because they were already getting major ad campaigns,” said Barbara Morgan, who served as the first director for the Springfield CVB, a post she held until 1984. “We would piggyback with them as we began to build our marketing efforts.”

What’s been exciting for Morgan, who left the CVB for a job at St. John’s and now works for The Kitchen, is watching Springfield come into its own.

“We began to see the arts accelerate. We got the Juanita K. Hammons (Hall for the Performing Arts). We saw more growth in those kinds of things happening,” she said.

Dickerson Park Zoo made major enhancements, including the Hearld & Marge Ambler Diversity of Life reptile facility and animal habitat upgrades.

Still, Morgan added, “We would have been remiss had we not called attention to the things right in our own back yard in the Branson area as well.”

As tourism has grown, so has the local hotel/motel industry. Kimberlin said that in 1983 – the earliest year for which he has data – there were 3,035 hotel and motel rooms inside Springfield city limits. In 1990, that number increased to 3,935. In 2000, the city boasted 5,360 available rooms, and for 2005, that number stands at 5,800.

Traveler demographics have changed as well – the biggest draw is now leisure.

According to the CVB’s 2004 Tourist Information Center Survey, 67 percent of visitors are here for leisure and 19 percent are here on business.