Wallonia will issue thousands of tourists passes to be spent in a range of activities and attractions in the region to boost the industry after the coronavirus summer.
The passes will be each worth €80 and will be available to Belgian residents and non-residents alike in a scheme set to run throughout the winter.
Some 60,000 passes will be issued in total from 5 October until December 2020, with 20,000 passes set to be dished out every month.
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The vouchers are equivalent to cash value rather than a discount for tourist activities and services in the French-speaking region.
About 400 hotels and accommodation businesses, museums, transport operators and managers of other attractions have already said they will accept the passes.
Regional officials announced the voucher scheme in August and said it will aim to help the tourism industry recover from the drop in activity brought on by the pandemic.
"Covid-19 has had a major impact on the tourism industry," Walloon Tourism Minister Valérie De Bue said, adding that the voucher scheme aimed to "encourage recovery throughout the low season."
Registrations to obtain the vouchers will open on the 5th of each month, with the first batch available online when the scheme launches on 5 October.
One pass per household will be issued and the vouchers will take the form of QR codes which can be spent all at once in a single service or progressively with different businesses.
The Brussels Times
