Tourism season kicks into high gear

More than 3,000 people visited during the weekend, a 16 percent increase over the same holiday weekend in 2004 and nearly equal to the attraction’s record attendance figures in 2001 and 2002.

Other area attractions saw similar improvements. Wonders of Wildlife’s Memorial Day weekend attendance matched the cavern’s 16 percent increase, and Exotic Animal Paradise in Strafford saw attendance figures rise nearly 10 percent over last year.

But the largest increase came from Branson: Silver Dollar City saw attendance figures jump 25 percent.

While the news is good for attraction owners, it’s not as good as it could be. Attendance is being compared to a disappointing 2004, which followed a disappointing 2003.

“It had been flat and soft, those would be the two terms I’d use,” said Ron Armitage, describing activity at his Exotic Animal Paradise. “It’s been a strange couple of years.”

Fantastic Caverns, for example, predicted flat growth this season, according to spokesman Kirk Hansen.

“Because of the last two years, we left (the budget) flat with last year, hoping to stop the downward trend and maybe build a little bit,” Hansen said, adding that business was down about 6 percent during those years. “We don’t have a lot of fluff built in to what we do here. Six percent is important, and we’d been trying hard to figure out how to get it back.”

No one is really sure why the attractions are doing so well so far this year. Hansen said one factor in the increased attendance might be the lack of panic over increased gasoline prices.

“In the past, there had always been gloom and doom about the price of gas and how it affects what we do,” Hansen said. “Well this year, I think AAA got the ball rolling, but news outlets picked up the story that gas is a little higher – it’s only going to make $20 difference in your trip. It’s not that big of a deal. So there’s been some perspective placed on how we look at gasoline, both the availability and the price of it.”

Armitage added that he, too, was uncertain about both why previous years had seen decreasing numbers and why those same numbers have made a comeback this year.

“The economy has been fairly good. I don’t know if it’s just that people have decided to do a little more vacation and traveling by automobile,” he said. “I’m just pleased that it appears we’re going to have a good tourist season.”

WOW Director Tony Schoonen attributes the museum’s perk in attendance to new exhibits, such as the traveling Smithsonian “In Search of the Giant Squid” and a unique albino alligator. Billboard advertisements promoting the alligator went up shortly before the Memorial Day weekend, Schoonen said.

Attraction owners are holding on to the Memorial Day weekend results, hoping they carry through for the remainder of the tourism season, which traditionally lasts through Labor Day.

“I’m very optimistic about this year,” Armitage said. “It appears that with the Memorial Day bump and the activity that we have booked, particularly in the month of June, it gives me reason to be very optimistic that it’s going to be a good season.”

However, Lisa Rau, spokesperson for Silver Dollar City owner Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., remains cautious.

“It’s really too early for us to be overly confident,” she said. “We’re pleased with the direction of attendance of our properties in Branson, but it’s really too early for us to say we have a handle on how the summer will be.”

She attributed SDC’s growth to an emphasis on surveys and focus group research, allowing the park to add rides and attractions that appeal to a wider variety of visitors.