Smurf-tastic ambassadors
Brussels taps a children’s favourite to try to woo back visitors after terror attacks.
THE Brussels tourism office is dispatching a special delegation of Smurf ambassadors as part of a major tourism campaign aimed at bringing back tourists following last year’s terrorist attack.
Dubbed “Where will Brussels take you” the tourism offensive is meant to boost lagging visitor numbers following the terror attacks which killed 32 people at the Brussels airport and metro station last spring.
“Numerous actions were undertaken immediately after the attacks and have yielded positive results,” said Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President in a statement.
“We have witnessed a very clear recovery of tourism in Brussels at the beginning of the year. The campaign ‘Where will Brussels take you’ represents an additional effort and aims at revealing our region’s hidden secrets – the best and most remarkable of what Brussels has to offer.”
The campaign was launched simultaneously in cities across Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain, with the assistance of the Brussels-born blue inhabitants who were dispatched to promote their city.
An online platform called takemeto.brussels has also been launched to help visitors personalise their trip. The site offers recommendations on the best restaurants, Instagram-worthy sites, museums for kids, best coffee and wine bars.
As part of the promotional campaign, the tourism office is also giving away a city break to Brussels every week, which includes accommodation and transportation within Europe.
The campaign ends Oct 31. – AFP Relaxnews