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How does one of Branson’s biggest and most respected providers of Branson travel services go from selling zero tickets to Branson shows and attractions to beyond two million and counting? “By using the synergy of the amazing people working with us and all that Branson has to offer to provide our customers, one at a time, with the greatest Branson experience possible,” said Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center (BTC). “Our passion at BTC is providing a great Branson experience for our customers that will not only bring them back to Branson, but back to the Branson Tourism Center time and time again.”
Johnson points out that on May 27 the Branson Tourism Center celebrated its seventh birthday. When Lianne Milton, the owner of BTC with her husband Larry, started the company seven years ago, there was a passion for sharing Branson, three employees and the number of tickets sold was zero. A short seven years later, the passion for sharing Branson is, if anything, more intense, BTC has 100 employees and the number of tickets sold is well over the two million ticket mark and rising.
Johnson attributes the success of the BTC to a number of things not the least of which is the passion of BTC, from the top on down, to making sure that every customer has a great Branson experience. Realizing that experience starts with the initial gathering of information on Branson, BTC’s free personal “concierge type” service has the made the gathering of that information as simple as dialing 800-785-1550, toll free, from 7 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. every day of the year except Christmas Day.
or an incredible show like the Acrobats of China, it's all about making sure that Branson's guests have a great Branson experience.
The phone will be answered by a trained BTC Branson Vacation and Reservation Specialist who lives in the Branson area, is familiar with all that Branson has to offer and will be happy to answer any questions prospective Branson visitors may have regardless of whether or not they actually buy tickets, lodging or other services from BTC. In the event the person calling wants to purchase tickets or lodging, the Vacations and Reservation Specialist can make all the arrangements including reservations with absolutely no service charge of any kind.
“In fact,” Johnson states, “because we buy in bulk and pass the savings on to our customers, in many cases, particularly with packages, they actually save money. Our free flagship concierge service, with the personal assistance of our Vacations and Reservation Specialist provides an unequalled level of convenience and service all designed with one thought in mind, help our customers have a great Branson experience.”
She also points out that BTC owns and operates Branson’s first, oldest and the most trafficked Branson website, www.Branson.com and www.BransonTourismCenter.com which provide a wealth of information on Branson, its shows, attractions, shopping, history, current news articles and just about anything else anyone could want to know about Branson. In addition, for those who want to do their own research and make their own reservations on line, BTC also operates www.BransonOnTheWeb.com, a transactional site with one of the best Branson search engines available anywhere to help users get the Branson information they want. Johnson stresses however, that BTC enjoys the reputation it does because of personal service and that personal assistance is no more than a toll free phone call away.
Johnson said that BTC is a member of the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, Better Business Bureau, American Society of Travel Agents, American Bus Association, and the Branson Lakes Area Lodging Association. It has been a member of the Better Business Bureau of Southwest Missouri since 2003 and enjoys an A+ rating.
As excited as she is about what has happened over the last seven years at the Branson Tourism Center, Johnson says, “It happened one customer at a time by helping them have the best Branson experience possible. That will not change as we move into the future, it is our passion and our privilege.”