THE CITY (from http://cityofbranson.org/WebPages/Profile/Profile.htm)

The City of Branson (population 7,500; 7.2 million visitors annually and growing) is located in southwest Missouri, 35 miles south of Springfield within the heart of the Ozark Mountains. Branson serves as the job, service and shopping center for a two county area with 70,000 year round residents. Branson is surrounded by three prize winning fishing lakes. The city has an incorporated boundary of over 17 square miles. This city has become the focus of international attention as both a major development area and an entertainment and tourism Mecca. The reasons are numerous and range from the scenic natural beauty of the area to the star studded theaters along Highway 76 with their line-up of major recording artists as well as other family oriented entertainment offerings.

TOURISM

Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population, Branson and the Tri-Lakes area serves up to 65,000 visitors daily who pump 1.5 billion dollars into the local economy. Branson has been a "rubber tire" destination with the vast majority of tourists arriving by vehicles, RVs and tour buses. However, more visitors are now flying into the area each year.  Branson has also become one of America’s top motor coach vacation destinations.

The American Bus Association (ABA) named Branson as one of the top four travel destinations for 2005. The ABA also named Branson one of the U.S. Destinations with the Most to Offer Groups and one of the U.S. Cities with the Best Value for Money Spent.

Byways magazine named Branson the top motorcoach destination of the entire decade.  Byways is a national magazine published by the National Motorcoach Network.

Travel author Pauline Frommer in 2006 listed Branson as a "Top 10 Worldwide Holiday Destination."

A geographical profile of Branson visitors shows: 14% come from a radius of 100 miles; 21% from 101-300 miles; and 65% from 301+ miles.  The top three motivations for coming to Branson are  entertainment and shows, theme parks,  and shopping.

TRANSPORTATION

Scenic U.S. Highway 65, a north-south highway, is the main route to Branson with over 80% of motorists coming from the north. 

The Springfield/Branson Regional Airport, located 45 miles north in Springfield, reports a large increase in air passengers and credits Branson’s popularity as a leading reason. More and more visitors are flying into Springfield and renting a vehicle to travel from the airport to Branson. Shuttle services are available from the airport to Branson.