For several years the number of visitors to the city centre has grown. 2018 is so far no exception. The first half of the year ends with a further increase of just over 5 percent compared with last year’s record. On average a full 208,833 people visit the city each week.
Unlike previous years, there was greater variation between weeks and days during the winter and early spring, with large increases some weeks and declines against the previous year in others.
During the spring, from April onwards, the levels have stabilised, and we are pleased to see increases in more or less every week. We can see that our joint investments in the city environment, such as Christmas lighting and also larger shared events and marketing efforts, are producing results on the city’s streets.
“Västerås City is a strong retail destination that is also more and more becoming the living room and meeting place for the people of Västerås and visitors that we want it to be. Here shops sit alongside a fantastic range of cafés, restaurants, culture in all its forms, entertainment and every kind of service company you can think of. The staff are on their toes and provide a world-class welcome. We had a feeling about it, and now it is wonderful to get confirmation that we are on the right track and that our joint work is producing results,” says Maria Fors, CEO of Västerås Citysamverkan.
Our larger events during the spring, such as the girls’ night, increased against already record figures. The Västerås City Festival broke visitor records again for the third year in a row, and this year’s newcomer, the event on Stora Torget during Västerås Summer Meet where we showed the World Cup match between England and Sweden, filled the city centre’s large square to the brim with Västerås residents dressed in yellow.
Girls’ night: +8% (45,549 people) Västerås City Festival: +12% (212,305 people) The England match on Stora Torget: compared with the same Saturday the previous year, 7 July, +51% (5,254 people)
Alf Westerdahl from Västerås Marknad och Näringsliv confirms:
“Wonderful that we are once again breaking visitor records during the Västerås City Festival. Thank you to the people of Västerås and other visitors who make the festival so good! This year the festival was visited by just over 212,000 people over three days, and the very best part is that the people of Västerås really got up to dance in front of the artists. This means the artists really enjoy it and want to come back. Several artists testify that we are one of Sweden’s best city festivals, perhaps even the best.”
“During the England match the whole of Stora Torget filled with Västerås residents dressed in yellow. 5,254 people had heeded our call to watch the match together. Many were dressed in yellow. In Russia there is the yellow wall. Here in Västerås we wanted the yellow square. Thank you, Västerås!”
Bumbee Labs measures visitor flows by capturing anonymised Wi-Fi signals from smart mobile phones, and can take measurements in both outdoor and indoor environments. Bumbee Labs’ measurements are made anonymously, not at an individual level, and the measurement method is the only one of its kind to be approved by the Swedish Data Protection Authority.
Press contacts: Maria Fors, CEO, Västerås Citysamverkan, +46 70 532 53 30, maria.fors (at) vasterascity.com
Alf Westerdahl, Västerås Marknad och Näringsliv, +46 70 577 57 55, alf.westerdahl (at) vasteras.se
Karl Samuelsson, CEO, Bumbee Labs, +46 70 758 89 71, karl.samuelsson (at) bumbeelabs.se