Hasselt (The Brussels Morning newspaper): Hasselt’s summer events including Theater op de Markt, Pukkelpop and the European Cycling Championships boost tourism and the local economy attracting visitors and filling hotels with guests.
Bosmans is saying that the summer events in Hasselt are great. It all starts with Theater op de Markt, an outdoor theater festival starting this week. Then there’s Pukkelpop a famous music festival and the Virga Jessefeesten a beloved local celebration. These events will bring lots of fun cultural stuff and draw in people from near and far to the city. In September Hasselt will keep the summer fun going with the European Cycling Championships.It has been said that this big competition will bring in lots of people to watch and take part which will help tourism and bring more people staying overnight in the city. All these visitors coming for the events will help Hasselt’s economy in a good way.
How do Hasselt’s summer festivals impact the city’s economy?
According to resources Pukkelpop is a huge deal in Hasselt every summer. Since not everyone wants to camp in tents at the festival many people prefer staying in local hotels for more comfort.They mentioned that this brings a lot of business to the hotels in the city each year because festival-goers like to have more comfortable places to stay. Theater op de Markt is also good for the city’s economy but in a different way. The outdoor theater festival brings in visitors who often stay longer for the weekend. These guests like to do more than just watch the performances,they go shopping, eat out and visit local museums. This extra tourism helps local businesses and makes the festival season in Hasselt even better for the city’s economy.
The Virga Jessefeesten even though loved by locals don’t bring in as much money as big events like Pukkelpop. These festivals mostly attract locals who go back home after the celebrations. They don’t bring in as many people staying overnight or spending money on tourism in the city. The Virga Jessefeesten only happen once every seven years so they don’t help local businesses and hotels as much. Since they are not as often as other big events they don’t bring in as many visitors from outside the area to boost the city’s economy.
It has been said that there is no worry about finding a hotel room in Hasselt during the European Cycling Championships. There are still plenty of rooms available. Some hotels have even more bookings than last year but there’s still space for visitors.
