Ghent (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): On the hottest day of the year Blaarmeersen in Ghent reached full capacity for the first time due to high demand requiring online reservations for entry to manage crowds effectively.
On the hottest day of the year when temperatures hit 36 degrees Celsius the Blaarmeersen in Ghent became a popular spot for people wanting to cool off. The combination of the heat and the beach attracted many visitors so it was important to manage the crowd. To handle the large number of visitors and make sure everyone enjoyed their time a booking system was set up for people who didn’t live in Ghent. Those coming from outside the city had to reserve their spot online ahead of time. This helped keep the number of people at the beach under control and made the visit more organized and enjoyable for everyone.
What measures did Blaarmeersen take to manage high demand and ensure full capacity was reached through online reservations?
On 12th August morning all tickets for the Blaarmeersen were sold out which was the first time this year that the beach reached full capacity through online bookings. The owner Farys said that the high demand for spots was something they had never seen before. It has been said that yesterday the beach also reached full capacity but not everyone had booked their spots online before arriving. Many people came to the entrance hoping to get in which was allowed under the old system. However because of the high interest today the rules changed and entry without an online reservation was not allowed anymore. This ensured that all visitors had their spots secured before they arrived.
The operator of the Blaarmeersen Farys has taken many steps to let people know when the beach is full. They use social media and digital signs above the E40 highway to share this information widely. People arriving at Gent-Sint-Pieters station are informed that there are no available spots at the Blaarmeersen. Catherine Meyvaert from Farys explains that police patrols are set up between the train station and the recreational area. Their job is to check if people going to Blaarmeersen have a valid ticket. If someone doesn’t have a ticket the police advise them not to go that way making sure potential visitors know the situation before they make the trip.
