A total of 685,189 people visited the Floriade world horticultural exhibition in Almere. That was announced on Sunday evening during a closing ceremony. As a result, the expo attracted far fewer visitors than the 2 million that were taken into account before the start.
In a speech, Mayor Ank Bijleveld said on Sunday evening that the Floriade Almere costs too much money and that the central government should bear a larger part of the costs. “If that doesn’t happen, this could be the last Floriade.” Yet Bijleveld is proud of her city. “Together we succeeded. Giving up was not an option and we can be proud of that.”
It had been clear for some time that the exhibition was plagued by low visitor numbers. This was partly due to the corona pandemic and an entrance fee that was too high, research showed earlier. The total number of expected visitors was 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.
Loss
In June, the six aldermen of Almere resigned because of the disappointing visitor numbers, which resulted in tens of millions of euros in loss. The municipality expects even more requests for extra money from Floriade BV, as it turned out this week. Director Hans Bakker said earlier that a possible next edition should be given careful consideration.
In recent months, discount campaigns, modified concert programming and an advertising campaign including commercials on radio and TV have been used to attract people.
Valuation
According to the organization, visitors express “great appreciation for the park”. “This is apparent from the many reviews from visitors when they leave. They give Floriade an 8.” Many international visitors also came to the Floriade, especially from Germany and the United States, according to the organization.
The exhibition, themed ‘Growing Green Cities’, is held once every ten years and opened on April 14. Sunday was the last day of the exhibition, which highlighted all kinds of ideas for sustainable cities. Part of the site is now being converted into a green residential area.