28 February 2014 - Ambassador Victoria S. Bataclan led the Philippine Embassy in Brussels as it joined the 31st Bel-Asia “Asia’s Festival and Fair” at the Centre Zandloper of Wemmel, Belgium from February 15 to 16 and the 59th Salon Idees Vacances (Salon Vacation Ideas) at the Charleroi Expo in Charleroi, Belgium from February 20 to 23.
The Embassy booth attracted visitors, not only due to its colorful display of Philippine posters and brochures but also because of its offer for a free taste of a Don Papa Rum-cum-Philippine mango juice cocktail.
At the Bel-Asia fair, the Philippine booth flaunted a 3x2 meter backdrop of the Palawan Underground River – proclaimed by the New7Wonders foundation as one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature; while it exhibited real Philippine mangoes at the Salon des Vacances.
Tourism brochures of such places as Boracay, Cordillera, Iloilo, Davao and Palawan and of the entire country were distributed. Aseana Travel, the only travel agency in Belgium specializing in travel to the Philippines, provided tour packages and gave out brochures detailing these packages.
At the Bel-Asia fair, Filipiniana Europa vzw, a Filipino community group in Belgium led by Ms. Juliet Frisnedi, presented a variety of Philippine dances while Mr. Dominiek Segaert, Founder and Chairman of Vriendschap voor den Filipijnen (Friendship for the Philippines) and a Knights of Rizal Commander, twice presented a Lecture on the peculiarities of Philippine Culture vis-à-vis the Belgian culture while Karel Corthals, a friend of the Philippines, presented a video documentary on “Philippines, an atypical Asian Country full of surprises.”
At the Salon des Vacances, Ambassador Bataclan volunteered to contribute Filipino aperitif at the Vietnamese reception for local government officials, organizers and selected guests. Vietnam was the feature country at the Salon des Vacances.
The Bel-Asia festival also featured Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Uzbekistan as well as 24 non-governmental organizations, 12 tour operators and five airline companies. Partnering with the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) this year, it also featured EIAS forums on European Union-Indonesia Trade and Investment – Invigorating Economic Relations with Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno of Indonesia and Corporate Social Responsibility in India and the Investment in Research and Development by Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri of India. The festival also included a Mongolian fashion show, taiko drummers, Bollywood dancers and workshops on Tibetan Yoga, Japanese Tea Ceremony, a Cambodian dancer, Thai cooking and sushi-making classes etc. This year’s visitors totaled approximately 1,500.
The Salon Idees Vacances of Charleroi featured some 200 booths from tourist villages, campsites, bed-and-breakfast, travel agencies, and those from the countries of Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam. END
