Sailing Through the Seasons: The economic wave of lake-based tourism

 Memorial Day weekend is what Sea Tow Table Rock Lake owner Jim Pulley calls the start of the 100 Days of Summer – the busiest time of year for his boat-towing business.

“This is when everyone starts hitting the lake,” he said. “That’s when we have to make our year.”

Sea Tow averages 400 tows per year, with about 85% of those occurring during the summer season, Pulley said. That means a lot of time dedicated to training new captains, prepping the boats and checking lights and towing ropes, he added. “We have to make sure we are ready for the season, and that our boats are in tip-top shape.”

Table Rock Lake, which has over 800 miles of shoreline and is located primarily within Stone County, is a top lake destination. Travel and Leisure named it as one of the top 25 lake vacation destinations in the United States. According to the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce, annual visitors total around 6 million, with an estimated 4 million during the summer season alone, based on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data.

“Our economy is absolutely lake-driven,” said Sheila Thomas, president and CEO of Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce. “We saw that during COVID, where our sales tax revenue was only down 2%-3%. Even when Silver Dollar City closed, the lake drove visitation like crazy during that time, and of course continues to. So, we know it’s an important part of our economy.”

In Branson, Ashlie Beede, vice president of marketing for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, said lake-based activities have driven 22% of tourism activity to date in 2024, with an anticipated 25% by July.

“Overall last year, lake-driven tourism was at 6%, which really shows how huge of a driver lakes are during the summer peak season,” Beede said.

A report by H2R Market Research for the Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau found that last year, May, June, and July were the busiest months for the city, peaking at just over 3 million visitors in July 2023, with each visitor estimated at spending between $94 and $364 per day.

Indian Point Marina owner Donny Sommese said the summer season has come early this year, with April having more boat rentals than in years past and May off to a good start. “This past weekend we had 40 or so reservations, which is uncommon for this particular weekend,” he said in a May 17 interview.

During peak season, he said that all 49 of his boat rentals and 10 wave runners will be reserved. “It’s looking like a good season, our reservations are looking great,” he said, adding that this year the marina implemented an online booking system for the first time. “I’m really excited to see how it will all work.”

Kimberling City-based fishing guide Mike Boyles said his season usually gets started in April, with fishers preferring early morning or late afternoon and avoiding the bulk of the lake traffic.

“I do about four to nine fishing trips a week,” he said, adding that his schedule can be unpredictable and inconsistent. “During the peak summertime though, I might get a late call from a dad wanting to take his kid out fishing, after I’ve been on the lake all day. I’m not going to say no. I’ll tell them to give me 45 minutes.”

The Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce, which operates VisitTableRockLake.com and has 517 active members, works to be a driver of economic development for the region. Because so much of Stone County’s economy is based on tourism, Thomas said the chamber spearheaded a new five-year economic development strategy in 2023 called Launch Stone County. One of the four initiatives is to drive overnight and long-term guests through tourism marketing.

“We don’t have a lot of big lake-side hotels in Stone County,” Thomas said, adding that most of them are smaller properties, with less than 40 rooms. “Going back to 2016, we’ve seen a huge rise in short-term rentals, like through Airbnb.”

The vacation rental site currently lists over 1,000 accommodations in Stone County.

Beede, too, said that the short-term rentals market has picked up in the past few years. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in that market, where families will rent lakeside properties and stay awhile, participating in a variety of Branson-based activities,” she said.

Larger lakeside resorts, like Big Cedar Lodge and Chateau on the Lake, are based in Taney County.

The Ozarker Lodge in Branson, which opened in June 2023 and has 102 rooms, sees many lake-bound guests despite not being lakefront, according to co-owner Jeremy Wells.

“Guests often spend the day at the lake and come back to the hotel to relax and enjoy its amenities at night,” he said. “We have a map on the property to pinpoint where people are from. It’s fun to see the international travelers from all over the world.”

Preparing for the summer season, Wells said they focus on incorporating a variety of programming on their property, such as live music, movie nights by the pool and food truck pop-ups.

In addition to focusing on overnight stays, Thomas said Launch Stone County also prioritizes business retention, expansion and attraction.

“Part of the plan is driven to attract more businesses, but also to bolster our economy so that our businesses have a bit more of a season,” Thomas said. She added that 150 community members were engaged in developing the plan.

“We want to make sure we focus on the lake’s shoulder seasons, which are spring and fall,” she said. “Silver Dollar City has developed a strong Christmas season, but the lake is not viable for a large number of people during that time. We want to drive visitation during spring and fall when the lake is viable.”

Indian Point Marina owner Sommese said that while boat rentals from Memorial Day to Labor Day make up roughly 90% of his business, spring and fall are not to be discounted.

“It can take a long time for the water to cool down after Labor Day,” he said. “The water can still be 80 degrees, and with the changing trees and less traffic, fall is the perfect time to be out on the lake.”

Many lakeside establishments have to get creative during the off-season. “Most successful businesses develop a local following and local relationships,” Thomas said. “If they are a business that can serve locals, they don’t forget those who keep them open during the off seasons.”

Indian Point Marina offers a 30% discount for boat rentals after Labor Day, and many restaurants cut back to limited days and hours. Sea Tow relies on annual memberships to offset income and uses the time to do water safety training in the community.

Boyle takes a different route: “I head down to Florida and work there,” he said. “I love this job, I have so much fun doing it. But I hate the cold.” Boyle stays with another fishing guide 90 miles south of Orlando. “I’ll tell people to come visit me if they’re down there. This is my business, and I hustle. I’m always learning.”