Visitbrussels, the
Tourism and convention bureau of Brussels, has
gathered travel market professionals in Moscow
in order to demonstrate the services that the Belgian capital can offer. The
presentation was called Workshop & Showcase Brussels. Brussels is not a new destination for Russian
tourists, yet most visitors come to the city for business purposes or just make
a transit through it. This is a shame, because Belgium’s capital is a real
cultural treasure. The central square of the city - the Grand Place – is part of the UNESCO
heritage. And the Manneken Pis is a canonic landmark for Brussels, which every tourist should pay a
visit to.
“Right now the tourist
flow from Russia to Brussels is growing, but
it’s mostly MICE-tourists and visitors with high income”, said Julien
Descurieux, a Visitbrussels representative in an interview to RATA-news. Yet
the price tag on a trip to Brussels
is not that high, and the destination, according to him, can be promoted to a
wider audience. Many hotels in Brussels
have attractive weekend prices, when the business activity in the city goes
down. There are 13 5* hotels, 46 hotels with 4* and 54 accommodation facilities
have a 3* rating. The historical city center is very compact, so most of the
sights can be visited during a two-tree day trip. Furthermore, your sightseeing
can always become a shopping spree, due to a large number of shops being
located in the city center.
Today nothing is
stopping Brussels
from becoming a year-round destination. Russian tourists can come on direct
flights from Brussels Airlines of Aeroflot. And there’s something going on in
the city – there are a total of about 15 thousand events every year. According
to Mr. Descurieux, 2012 was a very gastronomical year, because Brussels is a city that loves exquisite
cuisine. That’s why even cheap cafes there serve meals that would easily het
three stars in the Michelin Guide.
Tour operators have
different views on the subject. Many agree that Brussels will not be a popular destination of
its own until there are serious visa issues. Right now obtaining a Belgian
Schengen visa might take about a month and a half. “That’s why Russian tourists
prefer to visit Brussels only as part of
combined tours of Europe. They want to spend
most of their time in other countries, leaving only a couple of days for Belgium”, -
explained Lidia Cygankova, Head of the Individual Europe Tours department at
Kareta travel agency.
Anna Ovcharenko, Head
of the Benelux department at PAK Group, also doesn’t see Brussels as an independent destination.
“Mostly we have Belgium
combined with Germany, Holland, Netherlands
or France
in one trip. And the stay in Brussels
is usually around 1-3 days”, says the
expert. Mrs. Ovcharenko sees the problem in lack of promotion and
advertisement. For instance, Brussels does not
have an office in Russia,
whereas another Belgian region - the Flanders
- does.
This point of view is
supported by General Manager of Milart Travel, Ludmila Lesnichenko. She feels
that for now Brussels
will remain a strictly “individual” destination. One of the main reasons is
high prices on airline tickets. Right now a direct flight from Moscow
to Brussels
costs around $452.
