"Benefit of airport to Branson remains unclear"

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Benefit of airport to Branson remains unclear
By Cliff Sain
The Springfield (MO) News-Leader


Now that the city has paid more than $700,000 to Branson Airport in the past
two years, the city administrator said it is hard to judge whether the city
has benefited from its investment.

"We have less money in our general fund than we did last year," City
Administrator Dean Kruithof said. "We don't know if it would be more or less
without the airport."

The city pays the airport $8.24 for each passenger brought to Branson.
Kruithof said it is difficult to discern what advantage the city gains from
each of those passengers. Although the city does not pay for round-trip
passengers who originate from Branson, he said it is always possible that
somebody from Branson could buy a one-way plane ticket to home and be
counted as a visitor.

Of more concern is what the passengers do when they arrive.

"The fact is, we don't have a turnstyle," Kruithof said. "We don't know if
they are coming to visit Branson, or if they are going to Big Cedar Lodge,
to Arkansas or even Springfield. But it's hard for me to say we have not
seen a benefit."

Airport Executive Director Jeff Bourk acknowledged that an economic impact
study showed the average airport passenger created only $5 for the city's
general fund, which is funded by a one-cent sales tax.

"But they generate $15 for marketing funds," Bourk said. "And research shows
that marketing has a $53 return. Our visitors are creating much more than
$8.24 for the city."

This payment reflects passengers that flew between July and December 2010.
When the city and airport reworked the contract in 2010, that delay was
important because it allowed the city to check FFA passenger records against
the airport's claims.

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************