Data shows more than 500,000 visited Broadway in past year

Nancy McCleary, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
·2 min read

May 23—BROADWAY — More than 500,000 visitors have traveled to Broadway in the past year, according to data compiled by the Sanford Tourism Development Authority.

No, all these people didn't descend upon Broadway at the same time nor were they necessarily out-of-town visitors.

The data was collected with Placer.ai, a program that uses cell phones, WiFi, GPS and user motion to "track" visits to a certain area, according to Wendy Bryan, executive director of TDA.

She presented the data to the Broadway Town Commissioners on Monday night.

The numbers are based on "visits" by anyone who doesn't live in Broadway's 27505 ZIP code area, Bryan explained. That could include Sanford residents who go to Broadway for a meal or to shop. It could also include people living in Sanford or regional communities who commute to Broadway for employment.

Bryan noted that the two biggest events in the town are the Broadway Our Way Festival in April and the Broadway Christmas Parade in December.

Data showed that the April 6 festival drew 6,700 visitors with the peak hours between noon and 2 p.m., Bryan said. The visits were recorded in the area designated for the event between West Harrington Avenue and the N.C. Veterans Memorial on Main Street.

The Christmas Parade data showed 8,780 visitors gathered for the event in the area from Lett Family Park to the Veteran's Memorial. That represented a 12% increase over 2023, Bryan said.

The numbers showed people came from their home to the parade and when it was over, they returned to their residences.

Town leaders might want to consider adding a second event held later on the parade day and get businesses involved in promotions to draw people, Bryan said.

"That day the town lights up might be extra light at night to get (visitors) to stay longer and when they stay longer, they get hungry, and they need gas. This is a way to capitalize on more visitors' dollars for the event."

Los Charros had 22,700 visitors — a 5% decrease over 2023 — who stayed an average of 54 minutes, Bryan said.

Pop Heaven Gourmet Popcorn and Sweet Shop had 19,700 visitors — a 22% increase over last year — who stayed an average of 41 minutes.

"We were trying to figure out why they stayed so long, but we decided they were trying (samples) to decide what they would want," Bryan said.