Hotel managers transform Antwerp’s Grote Markt into Dutch Dordrecht (Antwerp)
Some Antwerp hotel managers went to the Grote Markt on Monday to fill the Antwerp square with signs of the Dutch city of Dordrecht. It is a response to a similar action by our northern neighbors who then renamed their city to Antwerp in response to the strict corona measures there.
The Grote Markt was no longer Antwerp territory on Monday, as they say. Didier Boehlen, chairman of the Antwerp Hotel Association and manager of hotel Rubens, together with Martijn Dreesen of the Radison Blu Hotel on Koningin Astridplein, hung place name signs of the Dutch city of Dordrecht. A symbolic action to support our northern neighbors for the coming months.
Most of them were obtained from the same northern neighbors who renamed their city Antwerp a month ago for the stricter corona measures. The Dutch catering industry was led to believe that their customers were moving to Antwerp, and that their business could not be closed.
Boehlen and Dreesen also hope for a more well-considered policy across national borders in the future. “The corona barometer will turn orange in our country on Tuesday,” said Didier Boehlen. In the Netherlands it will be green. It is a flashing light policy across borders and that is a difficult situation to do business in. We would like to thank the Dutch, but also to point out that in the future we will also look at barometers that are attuned to each other. This way we can continue to do business in both countries.”
In the meantime, the Dutch invasion in Antwerp has even come to an end and that is also reflected in the occupancy rate of the hotels in the city. Now 40 to 50% of the hotels are fully booked during the weekend. That is 30% during the week.
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