3 Sep '19

Atomium has best summer in more than a decade

Summary

Belgium’s iconic monument saw more than 84,000 visitors last month, boosting the chance that this will be the third-best year in recent history

 

‘A great year for Brussels’

The Atomium recorded its best visitor figures in more than a decade last month, with total attendance in 2019 so far up 15% on the same period last year. The monument attracted 84,742 people in August, the best performance since August 2008, when special events were organised to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Between January and August, 452,000 visitors were counted. If the trend continues, 2019 will be the Atomium’s third-best year in recent history, behind the 2008 anniversary celebrations and 2006 – the year that the monument reopened to the public after an 18-month closure for a complete renovation.

“The visitor boom corresponds with a rise in the figures for the capital as a whole,” said Atomium deputy director Julie Almau Gonzalez. “It’s been a great year for Brussels.”

Two-thirds of the Atomium’s visitors are foreign tourists, with top nationalities being the French, British, Spanish and Italians. “Groups who had been quite scared following the 2016 attacks, such as the Germans and Americans, are starting to grow again,” Gonzalez added.

Photo: ©Christophe Licoppe/Befocus/Sofam Belgium/VisitFlanders

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