Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian-accented comic who is one of the star attractions in Branson, Missouri, used to get big laughs during the latter days of the Cold War by observing how “in America, you watch television; in the Soviet Union, television watches you.”
That line may be a bit stale after the fall of the Soviet Union, but in Branson, where Smirnoff has found a second career as the headliner in a show featuring his Russian-flavored Americanism, it may still have a little relevance.
Branson, the tiny Ozark Mountain town that prides itself on being “the live entertainment capital of the world,” has been keeping an eye on its own audience lately – albeit for far less sinister reasons. Branson tourism officials want to make sure that the audience for its shows is growing to include a younger demographic with much-desired disposable income. Apparently, they are making inroads in the desired market.
“We are coming down in age,” says Bill Tirone, marketing director for Hilton Hotels, which is currently developing several projects in Branson. The average age of visitors to Branson is currently 57 years old, Tirone said. That may not exactly sound like an influx of GenX-ers, but it is down from about 62 years of age five years ago, Tirone said. Furthermore, Branson has been expanding show offerings beyond its traditional country western base. “Branson’s reputation was gained as a country music venue, but really only about 25 percent of current shows are country music,” Tirone said. “American Bandstand opened last year with Fabian and Paul Revere and the Raiders, and [recently] we had the Beach Boys,” Tirone pointed out.
That could be just the ticket for Branson, a community which boasts fewer than 10,000 year-round residents, yet manages to attract millions more each year to a mix of luxury hotels, gorgeous lake scenery and the panoply of shows that range from those cornpone classics to star vehicles built around Smirnoff as well as the veteran pop crooner Andy Williams.
Branson generates seven or eight million visitors every year, says Tracey Berry, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Division of Tourism in Jefferson City. Sixty-five percent of those visitors to Branson come from more than 300 miles away, and are staying in hotels, with an average length of stay between three and six nights, says Tirone. Taney County, in which Branson is located, totaled $412 million in tourism revenue last year, Berry said.
With between 70 to 100 shows presented on any given day at about 50 theaters, Branson claims to have more live performance venues than the Broadway theater district in Manhattan.
In 2006, Branson had 49.7 percent hotel occupancy for the year, but that number belies the true story. The town’s tourism industry operates pretty much on a 10-month schedule, with January and February the slowest months. The sweet spots are the month of July, which saw 72 percent room occupancy in 2006, and November to mid-December, with a similar occupancy rate, according to data by Smith Travel Research. In 2006, room occupancy was up eight percent over the previous year, Froyland said.
“As the number and variety of shows have expanded, the visitation count has also increased,” said Stephen Marshall, vice president and general manager of Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa, a luxury lodging which offers a Branson Show Package that includes show tickets.
“July is the busiest month of the year for us when our occupancy is in the high 80’s or low 90’s percent,” Marshall added.
Hilton is currently developing several major projects in Branson. “We have 242 guest rooms and in August will open up another 294 guest rooms” in Branson, Tirone said. Also in August, Hilton plans to open the Branson Convention Center. “It’s the city’s first convention center, and represents the first time that Hilton will manage a free-standing convention center,” Tirone says. He added, “We saw it as a great opportunity to get the city into the convention market, and also drive business at the convention center.”
Meanwhile, the city has been working to keep up with the demands of being a major tourism mecca. Marshall said that Branson’s main drag, Hwy. 76 Country Boulevard, also known as “The Strip,” has experienced “stop and go traffic.” However, he added, “The City of Branson has done a great job in adding new and expanding existing roadways in order to ease the congestion and to help people get around more easily.”
New attractions include Titanic: The World's Largest Interactive Titanic Museum & Exhibition, a two-story building shaped like the famously doomed ship, and featuring 400 artifacts in 20 galleries. Visitors also enjoy boating, fishing and other water sports in the lakes, and thrill rides at the Silver Dollar City and Celebration City theme parks. But Branson’s biggest attraction remains the shows, with a major selling point their affordability.
“A family of four can vacation here for 400 or 500 dollars including lodging and shows for a couple of days,” Froyland said. “People come here from all across the country, old or young, families, and we’re a real popular Fourth of July destination, added Froyland. He said that the Automobile Club of America recently rated Branson the 4th most popular Fourth of July destination in the nation for Midwestern travelers.
The city also swells (with pride as well as visitors) during its November Veteran’s Week, which Froyland called “the largest veterans celebration in the nation.” Added Froyland: “Branson’s extremely patriotic.”
Information courtesy on Hotel Interactive