The 2023 Brussels Holiday Fair was held at Brussels Expo from February 2 to 5. The theme of this year's Taiwan stand was "Slow Travel in Taiwan" with the design of the booth intended to bring together ideas of "cycling", "hot springs" and "ecotourism". Through virtual reality equipment, visitors were able to experience the beautiful scenery of Taiwan while riding a bike. The "Oh Bear" hot spring photo area, with balloon decorations of classic Taiwanese bags and slippers, allowed visitors to take photos and feel the retro and nostalgic atmosphere of Taiwan. The stand was also decorated with a few of Taiwan's unique butterflies and birds, showcasing the rich and diverse natural ecology of the country. Inside the pavilion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Trending Taiwan" channel and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau's video were played on rotation to introduce the varied beauty of Taiwan.
This year, the Taiwan booth also invited China Airlines and EVA Air to join the event and jointly promote their range of Taiwan-Europe flights. The stand also featured many eye-catching activities that were extremely popular with the visiting public. These included a live performance of Taiwanese songs by students from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels; balloon artists creating butterfly balloons; free tastings of local Taiwanese specialities such as braised pork rice, tea eggs and brown sugar cake; and the chance to win prizes playing night market games. All of the activities were very popular among the visitors, and caused queues around the stand.
Karl Vanlouwe, a Belgian federal senator, was also invited to visit the Taiwan booth and shared with the Central News Agency journalist his experience of visiting Taiwan in 2014, and recalled that he was deeply impressed by Taiwan's dynamic economy, as well as its hospitality. He went on to say that he would certainly recommend Taiwan as a tourist destination to Belgian and European people.
Ambassador Remus Li-Kuo Chen also took the time to visit the fair, and was on hand to share some of his thoughts with the visitors on the unique charm of Taiwan. With the promotion of this year’s holiday fair, it’s hoped that some of the visitors to the travel fair will be inspired to book a trip to Taiwan and experience its rich culture and vibrant atmosphere for themselves. With the recovery of the global tourism market fully underway, we are confident that the goal of 6 million international tourists visiting Taiwan in 2023 will be achieved.
