- Daily & Weekly newsletters
- Buy & download The Bulletin
- Comment on our articles
Related articles
Recent
Popular
Brussels museums suffer for lack of foreign visitors
The Brussels museums have received up to 75% less visitors since the terror attacks on 22 March. The museums that mainly target foreign visitors are especially hard-hit. Many locals, on the other hand, have made a conscious effort to keep visiting the museums, writes Brusselnieuws.
The Comic Strip Museum welcomed between 300 and 400 visitors per day in recent weeks, compared to its usual 800 per day. During the first weekend of the Easter holidays this year, the Museum of Natural Sciences received a total of 819 visitors, compared to about 3,000 in the same weekend last year. The Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate on the busy Grand Place saw a 75% drop in its number of visitors during the Easter holidays.
The Cinquantenaire Museum reported 25% fewer visitors than usual, and the Museum of the City of Brussels had nearly 40% less visitors in March, despite a strong start due to the popular event Museum Night Fever.
"The atmosphere is not good," said Pieter Van der Gheynst of the Brussels Museums Council to Brusselnieuws. "The many museums that depend on foreign visitors are faring the worst. In the US, China and Japan, the perception of Belgium is very poor at the moment. That's difficult to set straight."
Comments
Why the hell would anybody bother with Belgium as a visitor destination? If it's not terrorists of the bomb variety attacking air travel and travel in general, it's air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, truck drivers, farmers, taxi drivers and I see now that the whole public sector is set to join the party! Nah, can't blame anybody for avoiding Belgium and going somewhere where the transport can be relied upon and where they won't be held hostage to the never ending demands of the selfish fools that work in the afore mentioned sectors.
Unions are too strong -- These professions should be privatised and then things would work. Labor laws are too strong so difficult to hire and fire. Belgians constantly downgrade their country and are reluctant to "pull together" as citizens of a nation. Now is NOT the time for strike action. There is a domino effect and one cannot rely only on Belgians as "tourists". Bungling politicians and police force are major contributors. Belgium has a lot to offer but somehow we are making a mess of it all. We need positive thinking and actions.