Time Shares Fuel Branson Construction Boom

Time shares fuel Branson construction boom

During 2003, they generated $430 million in sales and 6,565 jobs.



A member service representative, Jason Conner (right), explains a package plan to Greg Howard and his wife Pam of Naples, Fla., Wednesday afternoon at Fairfield Bay Resort in Branson.

NOPPADOL PAOTHONG / NEWS-LEADER

Time share facts

Statistics for time-share resorts from the American Resort Development Association:

# More than 5,425 resorts worldwide

# 1,590 in the U.S.

# Most resorts: Florida, South Carolina, California

# Average one-time price in U.S. to reserve a week a year for life: $14,500

# Average maintenance fee in U.S.: $385 per week of annual use

# Time-share owners pay property tax, more than $249 million in the U.S.

# Median age of owner: 54

# Median household income: $85,000

# Attended college: 46 percent

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Kathryn Buckstaff
News-Leader

BRANSON — Locals call it "Time-share Valley."

Hundreds of multistory condominiums inhabit both sides of a mile of Wildwood Drive in the heart of Branson. Until 1994, it was a rocky glade dotted with cedars.

Thousand Hills Golf Resort runs through the center of the valley. It opened in 1995 when, as developer John Redford recalls, Andy Williams hit the first golf ball.

Because of sound land management practices, the course teems with water features, native grasses, wildflowers and trees that give sanctuary to deer, wild turkey and quail.

Time-share companies, which sell time at a resort on an annual basis, soon discovered the location, and a boom was born.

Over 10 years, the time-share industry has become a significant economic generator for the town, and there's no end in sight, say time-share industry experts.

Twenty-three time-share resorts in several locations now call Branson home. For the first six months of this year, the construction value of new condominiums was $13.5 million, 20 percent of total construction value, said city spokesman Jerry Adams.

Plus, the time-share industry now brings in about 12 percent of the estimated 7 million tourists each year, said Ross Summers, director of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. Many are coveted first-time visitors to the area.

"It's a pretty big rock in our pond here," Summers said.

They boost local revenue through direct purchases of hotel rooms and attraction tickets to offer as sales tour incentives. And they create thousands of jobs for resort and construction workers. In 2003, Branson time-shares contributed $430 million in sales and 6,565 jobs, a survey by the American Resort Development Association found.

"I think time-share has made a major contribution to this town," Redford said. "The economics of time-share has been phenomenal."

HAPPY CAMPERS

Fairfield Resorts Inc. opened one of the country's first time-share resorts in 1966 in Fairfield Bay, Ark. In 1993, Fairfield built its first Branson resort. Fairfield now has a total of 438 condos at three resorts: the Falls, the Meadows and Mountain Vista, said communications director Jim Cohn. Fairfield employs 371 people.

As part of its sales tours, Fairfield this year will buy 161,000 nights at area hotels and about 40,000 attraction tickets, said John McIntosh, regional vice president of sales for Fairfield.

"The theaters are in huge demand," McIntosh said. "People are really interested in them, and we have a lot of repeat guests."

This year, an estimated 28,679 owners and their guests will stay at the resort. Time-share parties spend an average of $1,795 per week in Branson, according to a study by the American Resort Development Association in Washington, D.C.

Lewis Ann Thomas — "named after my father" — and her husband, Emmett Thomas, of Clarksville, Ark., bought into Fairfield in Kissimmee, Fla., 10 years ago. They've traveled to resorts in Pigeon Forge and Nashville, Tenn., but Branson's Fairfield has become the site for Thomas family reunions.

This week was their second trip to Branson in less than a month, said Emmett Thomas, 63, retired after 26 years as a deputy sheriff.

"We come and bring his folks with us and meet other relatives here," she said. "We have Christmas dinner up here all together."

He said time-share is a good way to vacation.

"We just really highly recommend it for people that just love to go and get out and be with people," he said. "It's the greatest thing for the money we know of."

FEWER COMPLAINTS

In the early years of the time-share industry, there were problems. Greg Howard of Naples, Fla., looked into time-share 25 years ago.

"It was a pretty high pressure," Howard said. "Get the sales at whatever cost."

In 2004, they bought time at Fairfield Resorts, and made their second visit to Branson last week.

"We just haven't found that at all with Fairfield," he said.

Several factors changed the time-share industry. One was legislation making companies more accountable. In Missouri, complaints about time-share sales continue to decline, said Jim Gardner, spokesman for Attorney General Jay Nixon.

From 2001 to 2002, they logged 671 complaints statewide. In 2003 to 2004, that dropped to 356, Gardner said.

"Certainly, consumer-protection issues have been a high priority for Mr. Nixon, and the consumer complaint unit has worked hard and aggressively on any violations," Gardner said.

Another change was the entry of established corporations such as Marriott International Inc., raising the level of product and service. Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club International opened in Branson in November 2001. It has 88 units now, and plans to expand over the next few years to 414 units, said sales manager Rick Renda.

Customer demand also created change.

Most time-shares now offer more flexible packages than the old way of selling time by the week. Now, they sell points. Points can be spent in a variety of ways. Busy families often would rather take a weekend trip, and save some of their points for the next trip, Cohn said. The points also may be deeded to survivors as a legacy, often an incentive for families to buy, he said.

Pam and Greg Howard put their Fairfield points to work. Through partnerships Fairfield provides, they are redeeming points for airfare and a hotel when they go to British Columbia in September where their oldest son is getting married.

"It's just not as restrictive as it used to be," Pam Howard said.

NO END IN SIGHT

Bluegreen Vacation Club based in Boca Raton, Fla., is adding units to its two Branson area resorts. Three buildings with 29 units will be added to the Fall Village. And just south of Branson in Ridgedale, 64 units and 11 cabins will be added this year to the Wilderness Club time-share at Big Cedar Lodge.

Fairfield also continues to grow, although not in Branson at this time, Cohn said.

Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla., near Disney World opened last year with plans to build 1,500 units. Some 4,000 people have already bought time in the resort, Cohn said.

There is growing demand for more than a hotel room, Cohn said. In a condo, there can be multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and more.

Cohn's family recently vacationed at Fairfield Ocean Walk Resort in Daytona Beach, Fla. His children are ages 7 months and 3 years.

"I can't imagine not having a washer and dryer," Cohn said.