Chinese investors can help Belgium tide over hardship

The deadly terrorist attacks on Brussels airport and metro on March 22 are still taking a toll on Belgium's economy. Police and emergency forces are still stationed in cities, especially in Brussels and the major port city of Antwerp. In fact, Belgium has deployed nearly all of its security forces to patrol the streets and kept the risk alert at the third level, just one step below maximum, making security procedures, including bag checks, mandatory even at book fairs and concerts in the parks.

Tourists, especially those from outside Europe, still hesitate to visit Belgium. The August data show a year-on-year drop of 6.7 percent in the number of passengers flying into and out of Brussels airport, partly because Asian and American tourists are avoiding Belgium. In August, the airport received just more than 2.3 million passengers, a year-on-year decrease of 4.6 percent. The number of international tourists visiting Brugge, a picturesque destination, declined by 20 percent this summer. The year-on-year decrease in the number of people visiting Brussels is even higher.

The sharp drop in the number of foreign visitors has prompted the Belgian authorities to attract more visitors from abroad, especially China. For example, the French-speaking Belgian region of Wallonia has introduced a new tourism certification system for Chinese visitors, under which hotels avoid assigning rooms on the fourth floor to Chinese tourists, because 4, similar to 13 in Western culture, is not a good number for many people in China. Providing enough hot water and green vegetables for Chinese visitors is also part of the new package.