Recently “Mellie,” a local Branson resident and long time poster to www.1Branson.com, an internet site the Ole Seagull is associated with, made a post that expresses a concern that a lot of people and businesses in the Branson Tri-Lakes area have. She said, “I am worried about our economy, in Branson.”
In her post Mellie said, “As one who relies on the public’s financial situation for my paycheck, [Mellie works as a server in Branson’s food service industry] I am going to say this: In the past 3-months, my income has dropped to 1/4 of what I was making, three months ago. As I see it, one of the following three scenarios is taking place…I’m just not sure which one.
1. A majority of people who previously frequented Branson, have decided that the price of fuel and the cost of living in general, are too high, and they can’t afford to come to Branson, this year.
2. A majority of people who previously frequented Branson, several times every year (maybe for a weekend, here and there), have decided that with the price of fuel and the cost of living in general, they will not come to Branson so often…they will save it up and come to Branson for one 2-week vacation (or 1-week, whatever the case may be). If this scenario is correct (and I pray it is), then I’m assuming that business will pick-up as soon as school is out for the year. If people are still planning one long vacation in Branson they will not do so until after school is out.
3. The same number of people are coming to Branson, as always have, but they are having to ‘ration the money’. The motels are not an option. They have to pay for motels and they have to pay for entertainment. Those are pretty much ‘fixed costs’. They are choosing to cut their spending, with meals. In other words, they have to pay for lodging and entertainment, but they don’t have to spend as much, to eat. That is a ‘flexible’ expenditure. I am worried…literally. What is your opinion, on this?”
An Ole Seagull would suggest that the economy of Branson has been impacted by a combination of all three “and then some.” The “and then some” includes but is not limited to the exponential increase in the effects of what Mellie pointed out by the weather, the flooding of Table Rock Lake, and the persistent perception that “Branson” is flooded.
Another poster Grizzly, summed it up pretty well when he said, “We are almost in a ‘perfect storm’. Gas prices are skyrocketting, our 300 mile radii market had kids in school very late this year (some still in school today), raising unemployment everywhere except here, horrible stock market, an election year, and misleading reports of flood problems.”
To that, an Ole Seagull would suggest that the double digit increase in basic food prices, utilities, and just about everything else certainly doesn’t help the situation. Come to think of it, it’s the same for potential visitors as it is for those of us living here, things are tight, priorities have to be established, and choices made.
There’s not a lot that can be done in terms of the economy, weather, the condition of Table Rock Lake, the price of oil, the value of the dollar, etc. Yet, at the end of the day, an Ole Seagull believes that the hope for the future economic success of Branson is in its own hands.
If we, as individuals, businesses, and as a community keep up our marketing efforts and insure that every person and family that comes to Branson has an experience that makes them glad they came and anxious to return, Branson will not only weather the current economic storm but will be well positioned to sail into a brighter economic future as the storm abates.
