Photo: ANP
A total of 685,189 people visited the Floriade World Horticultural Fair in Almere. He announced this Sunday evening during a closing ceremony. As a result, the exhibition attracted far fewer than the 2 million visitors that were considered before the start.
In a speech, Mayor Ank Bielefeld said Sunday evening that Almere’s fluoride costs a lot of money and that the central government should bear a greater part of the costs. “If it doesn’t, this could be the last Floriade.” However, Bielefeld is proud of its city. “Together we succeeded. Giving up was not an option and we can be proud of that.”
It has been clear for some time that the gallery suffers from low numbers of visitors. Research earlier showed that this was partly due to the coronavirus pandemic and entry fees that were too high. The total number of expected visitors has been reduced from 2 million to 1.2 million and later to 680,000. Earlier this week, Floriade and the municipality of Almere announced that the latest forecast was based on 650,000 to 680,000 visitors.
In June, the six members of the House of Representatives in Almere resigned due to disappointing visitor numbers, which led to the loss of tens of millions of euros. The municipality is expecting more applications for additional funds from Floriade BV, as it turned out this week. Director Hans Bakker said earlier that a possible next edition should be carefully considered.
In recent months, discount campaigns, modified concert programs, and advertising campaigns including commercials on radio and television have been used to attract people.
According to the organization, visitors express “high appreciation for the park.” “This is evident from the numerous reviews from visitors as they leave. They gave the Floriad an 8.” According to the organization, many international visitors also came to Floriade, especially from Germany and the United States.
The exhibition, under the title “Green Cities Development”, is held once every ten years and opened on April 14. Sunday was the last day of the fair, which highlighted all kinds of ideas for sustainable cities. Part of the site is now being converted into a green residential area.
