What did The Passion achieve for Amersfoort?
In 2016, I&O Research, commissioned by the municipality of Amersfoort, conducted a survey among visitors to the event and among viewers who had seen The Passion on television. The following results emerged:
– 20,000 people attended the performance of The Passion on Eemplein. About half of these came from Amersfoort itself. A fifth of the visitors came from the rest of Utrecht and a third from the rest of the Netherlands. Visitors rated the event with an average of 8.
– Almost half of visitors spent money in the catering industry before, during or after their visit to The Passion. On average €18 was spent. Just under 20 percent of visitors also went to a store, where an average of 23 euros was spent.
– Half of visitors from outside Amersfoort indicated that they would like to visit the city again within a year. 14 percent of visitors said that their image of the city of Amersfoort had changed in a positive way. They especially thought the city center was more beautiful than expected. One in seven viewers of the TV broadcasts previously indicated that they would consider visiting Amersfoort.
In 2016, Amersfoort paid almost 250,000 euros for the organization and security of The Passion. A big contrast with the 625,000 euros that Zeist is now paying for it. Due to inflation and stricter safety requirements, prices for organizing an event like The Passion have risen considerably.