The famous Keukenhof park in the Netherlands – the most important and oldest temporary flower exhibition in the world – has not been able to open its doors this year due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
It is located in the town of Lisse, half an hour from Amsterdam or The Hague, and this garden, one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country, was supposed to be inaugurated on March 21, but it was already affected by the prohibition of any celebration or event that brought together more than 100 people. Prohibition that became stricter as the spread of the virus throughout the country progressed.
Keukenhof
In any case, those responsible for the park decided, as the saying goes, if life gave them lemons, they would make lemonade, to launch a media campaign with the slogan “if people can’t come to the Keukenhof, we bring the Keukenhof to the people”. . From here, they created numerous videos and a lot of audiovisual material that they shared on various social networks.
Videos for a virtual tour
Only with the videos published on the YouTube channel have they had almost a million and a half visitors. The nostalgia of not being able to walk among the aromatic floral compositions that offer a thousand forms and harmonic drawings is compensated, in this case, by technology.
The videos allow you to get up close to the grounds in a way you can’t on a real visit. Very close-ups of the flowers, first-hand explanations about how they are planted, what their name and species are, more or less secret corners…
Ground planes from drones, with sound and music… an added experience that many visitors are valuing as very positive. On the networks there are comments from foreign tourists who have had to cancel their trip, or even Dutch who have been forced to cancel their visit to the park and who appreciate being able to visit it virtually.
Keukenhof
Some of the videos are guided by the workers themselves, and among other things they teach their favorite sites, the planting technique or the origin of the bulbs.
This is the case of André Beijk, a gardener at Keukenhof for 34 years, who explains that his favorite flower is the daffodil and shows it to us in great detail. Or Michael van der Voet, who has been in his position for 24 years, where he shows off his favorite spot, the William Alexander Pavilion filled with tulips of more than 500 different species. Or Huseyin Colak, a gardener for seven years, who reveals which is the flowered hill where every year a photo is taken with his family.
In another video, park director Bart Siemerink explains the multiple varieties of the tulip, a flower that is much more than the stereotypical image we have of it.
No overcrowding
In addition, the virtual visit allows something that can never be achieved in person: enjoy the flower beds without anyone in sight . Not a German tourist, not a group of Chinese taking photos, not crowds of teenage schoolchildren. No one. Flowers for one. The sensory experience is not the same, obviously, but it is necessary to make a virtue of necessity.
In fact, in recent years, many Dutch people lamented the excessive tourist overcrowding around this park. And before it died of success, the pandemic has forced Keukenhof to go on hiatus, like so many other things, although its organizers insist that its future continuity is guaranteed.
Economic losses
As in so many other economic sectors that have been dramatically affected by the coronavirus crisis, the Keukenhof park has also suffered the consequences of the closure. Those responsible explained that the losses were very high and that the financial impact would be enormous.
Keukenhof
The non-existent sale of tickets has left them without income but all costs had already been paid in advance. In addition, the gardens are also managed with numerous partners and business groups, which multiplies the cascade of losses. More than 1,300 temporary jobs, in addition to sectors such as transport, tourism and the flower sector add to the impact. In a normal year, the Keukenhof is visited by more than a million people during the seven weeks it is open.
The park is considered the best showcase for the Dutch floriculture sector and throughout its history it has become an icon of tourism. Visitors can admire the more than seven million bulbs that are born in spring and that represent the living catalog of the supplying companies. In addition, 500 growers display a huge variety of cut flowers and potted flowers.
History of the park
The history of the Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century when it was established as a fruit and vegetable garden for the castle. In the mid-19th century, the gardens were redesigned by landscape architects Zocher, who also designed Amsterdam’s Vondelpark.
Keukenhof
In 1949, after World War II, a group of flower growers came together to create an annual event that would promote the sector and serve as a global showcase. The park opened its doors in 1950, and since then it has not stopped growing every spring. What happened this year will be a historical parenthesis in his long career.
