On October 20, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Spanish Tourist Office in Belgium, held the Day of Spain at the Groenplaats in downtown Antwerp. Through this unprecedented event, Spain was showcased as a tourist destination (it is the third most visited country by Belgians on vacation), along with its culinary and leisure offerings. The event also highlighted Spain’s leading companies, the innovation taking place in the country, and opportunities for employment and training.

The activities held were as follows:

Tourist activities:

The range of tourist attractions was represented by the various autonomous communities taking part in the event. Attendees learnt about and gathered information on Murcia, Aragon, Ibiza, Mallorca, Galicia, Castile and León, Navarre and Tenerife. These regions were responsible for enhancing Spain’s image as a tourist destination and positioning the country as a global leader in many sectors. Visitors were also able to discover the Iberostar hotel group and the airports of Antwerp and Ostend-Bruges, which provided information on travel options to Spain from Belgium.

The event’s main sponsor, the tour operator TUI, presented a wide range of activities at its stand, including a virtual reality experience, a cycling competition and a prize draw for flights to Spain.

The Spanish start-up Easybabytrip also took part in this area, offering the public travel equipment designed for travelling with children.

Sport:

Sport was represented by LaLiga and the Circuit de Catalunya. At their stands, visitors were able to experience what it’s like to be a professional footballer and a Formula 1 driver, as well as watch live broadcasts of that day’s matches. Both adults and children enjoyed both experiences.

Studying or working in Spain:

This area featured Eures, the European portal for professional mobility, the Regional Ministry of Education and Olespañol, the agency for language immersion programmes in Spain.

Food area:

The catering area, run by the restaurant Las Mañas and the Spanish produce importer Vista la tienda, was open all day, serving traditional Spanish dishes to attendees throughout the event. Freixenet was also present in the same area, serving cava.

Musical and cultural activities:

• Peña Al Ándalus: a flamenco association in Antwerp, featuring a flamenco show.
• La Negra Albina: a musical performance in the Cumbia Psychotropic-Funk style.
• Pepa Niebla Quintnt: a jazz performance.
• DJ Alex Torres
• Miguel Ángel Belinchón, Belin: the muralist painted a post-Neo-Cubist canvas live.
• Situational happening: under the guidance of Carolina Tafalla, participants were able to explore different perceptions of friendship in today’s world.

Children’s activities:

• Camino de Santiago-themed treasure hunt: an interactive game where the little ones could feel like pilgrims for a day by completing their pilgrim’s passport as they answered questions about Spain. The activity was organised by the Camino de Santiago Association of Flanders.
• Face painting: a children’s activity where they could choose their favourite design to have painted on the children’s faces.
• Painting workshop: where the little ones painted various pictures related to Spain.

Other activities:

• Sharingbox: A photo booth with various options, from which attendees chose images characteristic of Spain as the backdrop for a fun photo.
• Don Quixote photocall: visitors to the event were able to take home a lovely souvenir by having their photo taken as if they were characters from Spanish comics.

Furthermore, on Friday 19 October, the Chamber organised a Networking Dinner at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, coinciding with the ATP250 tennis tournament. Attendees were able to enjoy the quarter-final match and, afterwards, a dinner featuring a selection of acorn-fed ham carved by Mathias Verbeke from the Belgian company Joka.