Visit Flanders and Visit Brussels recently organised a seminar in New Delhi to commemorate the 100 years of World War I, ‘World War I Remembrance 2014-2018’. The seminar was part of the visit of the Belgian Economic Mission in India which was led by Princess Astrid, representative of the King of Belgium. The Princess was accompanied by Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs, and Kris Peeters, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Flemish Minister for Economy, Foreign Policy, Agriculture and Rural Policy.
Apart from them, Peter De Wilde, CEO, Visit Flanders and Alain Hutchinson, President, Visit Brussels were also present at the seminar. Both of them highlighted multiple events planned in their respective regions. Inaugurating the seminar, Peeters said that around 72,000 Indian soldiers fought in Flanders as members of the British army and 7,000 of them lost their lives during the War, which is why Belgium is promoting this event in India.
Both Visit Flanders and Visit Brussels expect a good turnout from India during the Great War Centenary 2014-2018, a four-year remembrance project set up by the Government. “Flanders Fields is one of the terms well known in the war parlance due to World War I. We want to raise awareness about the destination and create experiences reflecting on the war and its relevance to today’s world. We understand that this is a sensitive issue and we need to communicate it in a very delicate manner. Nobody else has worked at this level to commemorate the War,” Wilde said, adding that the landscape of the region still tells the story of the war as it contains hundreds of monuments and cemeteries which have great historical significance for the people of many nations. We want to raise awareness about our destination.
According to him, the growth from India is still above the European average, however, Visit Flanders want more Indian visitors to come. Elaborating on the Centenary commemoration, Wilde said that an online campaign was launched at recently concluded World Travel Market London where 20,000 bags of poppy seeds were distributed to disseminate the importance of world peace.
Hutchinson added, “This was the world’s first-ever conflict on a global scale, marking the start of a series of profound societal changes. These changes came to a head at the end of the Second World War, when the founding of the European Community led to the united and collective Europe that we know today. Brussels, as the true capital of 500 million Europeans, is home to the main European institutions and today serves as the international crossroads for culture, diplomacy and economic affairs.”
Giving more details on the promotion of ‘World War I Remembrance 2014-2018’, Hutchinson said that Tourism Boards of Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia will together spend EUR 100 million on various events to create awareness about this event. According to him, the government is targeting to double room nights over the next ten years. One of the major events is 1000 Voices for Peace where choirs from Belgium will be joined by choirs from the four corners of the world to sing the Oratorio for peace – a new composition by the great Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, he informed.
Replying to a question about the India specific promotional plan, Wilde said that there are several promotional opportunities for India. “We are looking at joint promotions with airlines from Europe and Middle East which connect to India and terminate in Brussels. We are also looking at the Jet Airways-Etihad partnership and other options for joint promotions,” he added.
He cited examples from Japanese market where Visit Flanders stopped working independently three years ago and partnered with KLM-Royal Dutch to jointly promote Holland and Belgium that helped in promotion of both destinations. These Tourism Boards also plan to set up War Centenary Garden across the world as part of the commemoration programme. “At present, we have planned for a dozen of such Garden and many more will be planned during the course of the commemoration. The first Garden is getting ready behind the Buckingham Palace in London. We are planning to set up War Centenary Gardens in Paris, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India among others,” Hutchinson revealed.
Belgium recently launched a Consulate General office in Chennai.
