Is Branson in an economic war for its very survival?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines war as “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations.” From an economic perspective, as it applies to Branson, an Ole Seagull would define Branson’s Economic War as “a state of entities, other than the City of Branson, openly or through other subtle means, fighting Branson for the visitors, the time they stay in Branson, and the tax revenue they generate.”

“Oh, come on, Seagull, that’s just ‘competition.’” “Well, at the end of the day, that’s what ‘war’ is, a ‘competition’ with winners and losers.”

“Well then, why not call it ‘competition’ instead of ‘war?’” “Because to most people, the results of a ‘competition’ and a ‘war’ are two different things.”

To most, losing a competition results in a kumbaya moment where the losers congratulate each other after a football game, golf match, or catching a big trout. Losing a competition that is a war, however, has a whole different connotation for the loser, and it’s not a kumbaya moment in which they congratulate the winner.

Amazon came online in 1994, beginning as an online bookstore before expanding into other product categories. According to the American Booksellers Association (ABA), it was competing with nearly 4,000 independent bookstores. By 2008, it was competing with only around 1,600 independent bookstores. An Ole Seagull has to believe that losers in that competition weren’t feeling the “kumbayainess” of the competition because of, among other things, its economic impact on them.

Economically, the city of Branson has what other entities want, visitors and the revenue they generate. One of the first to realize that and give an early warning that other entities wanted what Branson had was the town of “Lakeview” in Stone County. According to Wikipedia, “Originally known as Linchpin, the crossroads of Highways 13 and 76 was officially called Lakeview until February 25, 1992, when the city officially changed its name to Branson West to capitalize on the explosive growth of neighboring Branson.”

“Wow, Seagull, that sure wasn’t a subtle move.” “Can’t argue with you there, but it was a clear indication of what was ahead for Branson. A warning that in the future Branson could be fighting a war for its economic survival.”

It’s a war fought to get millions of individual visitors and their families to spend their time and money within the City of Branson as opposed to somewhere else. Each individual battle the City of Branson loses costs the city, and its shows, attractions, lodging facilities and other businesses the revenues that visitors and their families would bring to them.

“That’s kind of harsh Seagull.” “That might very well be true, but an Ole Seagull believes that’s the reality. And what’s worse, Branson is contributing to the very entities they are fighting the war against.”