Year in Review: Branson Tourism

Access to Branson took a hit this summer when Southwest Airlines pulled out of Branson Airport after just 15 months.

Airport officials secured charter startup Buzz Airways to follow Southwest and, as a result, passenger activity took a dip. Branson Airport volume was trending up – by 18 percent the first half of the year – but now relying solely on seasonal charter service.

While some 80 percent of Branson visitors attend shows, winds of change blew through its theater industry as the Jim Stafford, New Americana and Icon theaters closed, and the hulking Grand Palace finally found new owners. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., trustee of the 100,000-square-foot former theater after a foreclosure, sold the property at half its $5.4 million list price to Branson Entertainment Center LLC.

The city’s sales tax was up 5.45 percent to $6.8 million through August, and the tourism tax was up 6.6 percent to $540,000 through the same period.

At the 32 theaters, tax receipts were up 9 percent to nearly $1.8 million through August, and tax revenue from amusements rose 14.6 percent to nearly $1.1 million.

The Big Cedar Legends of Golf Tournament gave the industry a shot in the arm at an estimated $3.5 million economic impact.

With an eye on the future, Branson officials launched the $80 million Spirit of 76 streetscape project on 76 Country Boulevard.