The 2024 Brussels Holiday Fair, held from February 1 to 4 at Brussels Expo, was a bustling and vibrant event. This year's Taiwan booth, themed 'Honeymoon Taiwan', integrated the concept of 'Taiwan’s Ocean World' into its design. Featuring attractions like a mermaid 'Oh Bear', a diving 'Oh Bear', and a giant diamond ring photo area, the stand offered visitors a range of fun photo opportunities. Decorations including small squid, coral, seagrass, and Ryukyu sea turtles, also adorned the exhibition area, showcasing Taiwan's rich and diverse marine ecosystem.
Inside, visitors could watch a rotation of videos including short films from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' 'Trending Taiwan' channel and Tourism Bureau promotional videos, as well as our office's collaboration with Belgian YouTuber Charlotte De Win on 'Three magical daytrips not to miss when going to Taipei' and a fantastic review of a visit to Taiwan by members of the Belgian Tai Chi Association (Le Cercle de Tai Chi Leung). These videos helped to introduce the beauty of Taiwan to the attendees and provided them with a wide variety of compelling reasons to visit.
In addition to inviting China Airlines and EVA Air to promote Taiwan-Europe routes, our office prepared a variety of activities to enhance interaction and enrich the visitors’ experience, including: performances of Taiwanese songs by students from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels; balloon art featuring Taiwanese soup dumplings and steamer baskets; on-site preparation and distribution of Taiwanese street foods such as salty crispy chicken, gua bao, Xiaoliuqiu twisted rolls, bubble tea, and traditional Ping An rice cakes; and night market games like fishing for squid magnets to win Taiwanese lucky chopsticks. These activities were enthusiastically participated in, attracting long lines of eager visitors. Additionally, with the Lunar New Year approaching, students from the Taiwan Mandarin Learning Center also performed calligraphy, joining in the festivities with the expo attendees.
Ambassador Lee personally visited the event, sharing Taiwan's unique tourism charm with the public. We are sure that the promotion at this travel fair will help European travellers better understand Taiwanese culture and increase their interest in visiting Taiwan in the future.
