Hey, it's
Marco Frank!
Trade Manager, VISITFLANDERS
The New Year is here. What’s giving you hope for the future?
Indeed, it is hard to believe that 2021 has already arrived. A new year with a new hope that we will finally be able to turn the corner. Generally speaking, I am an optimistic person, even in the darkest moments. We have experienced some of those last year. But we have also seen the record development of several vaccines. They will help to get the pandemic under control. Although they are not the only magic bullet for fixing the pandemic, they are a necessary part for moving ahead. So there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
Finally, humanity and human ingenuity gives me hope. We are very resourceful and although we might not have all the answers upfront, I am confident that we will figure things out and overcome any last remaining hurdles that are still ahead of us.
“People want to connect with other people and seek deeper connections. We won’t be happy just sitting on the other end of a phone or data line all the time. That’s why most travel will come back, despite all the technology. Another reason to be hopeful and optimistic!”
Marco Frank
Visit Flanders
How have you been coping during the pandemic and how have you been keeping busy?
Since the pandemic hit the world hard, we have all been worried and concerned. Personally, I am doing well, and my health has not been affected by COVID-19. Some of my friends and colleagues came down with the infection, but all with mild symptoms. I am very thankful for their speedy recovery.
I think this is the longest time I have not traveled since Kindergarten! It has given me a new appreciation for my own place, my own four walls that barely played a role in the past because of my frequent travels. I think I am a rather handy person, so I have done various upgrades, painting jobs and made it more feel like my place. Although travel to Flanders was very limited in 2020, our Tourist Office has been very busy with keeping the agents engaged. Plus, with a new government and a new minister of tourism that need to be brought up to speed, it felt like one of the busiest years ever.
What have been some of your strategies to keep the trade engaged over the last year? How are you staying connected with travel advisors during this time?
Although we have not been able to do any face-to-face meetings since March 2020, the universal adoption of virtual platforms has offered an opportunity to broaden our agent engagement. We conducted several webinars, sent numerous newsletters, participated in virtual conferences and promoted our online learning platform. On a little side note, I come originally from the telecommunications industry and I am a little surprised that it has taken such a long time for these virtual platforms and work from home technologies to become universally adopted. This type of technology has existed for the last two decades. But and that’s where travel comes in, we are no robots, we are human beings. People want to connect with other people and seek deeper connections. We won’t be happy just sitting on the other end of a phone or data line all the time. That’s why most travel will come back, despite all the technology. Another reason to be hopeful and optimistic!
Do you have anything you want to share with travel agents?
We have all gone through some unpredicted times together! Now I have used this word, although I said I would never use the overused “unprecedented” word again. The travel professional community is a very close-knit community, and we all depend on each other. Flanders would not be Flanders if it weren’t for the advisors and agents who send the fabulous travelers to our destination, guests that appreciate what Flanders has to offer and how Flanders can enrich their life. We know this and agents will play an even great importance and role going forward. We are here for you to support you and provide you with the tools you need to succeed in the future.
What’s something people shouldn’t leave Flanders without seeing, doing or eating?
Try to schedule at least three days in the destination. If you want to stay longer, even better, there is just a lot to see and experience. You have to have a Belgian beer in a cozy beer café or pub. Venture out and sample some of the local brews. Belgian has about 1,700 different beers and counting. There are many more to discover beyond the well-known brands. Make your own chocolates during a chocolate workshop with an artisanal chocolate maker. Don’t forget to exercise your legs and get on a bike to discover some of our fantastic landscapes, the rolling hills of the Flemish Ardennes or the coast. Pay a visit to Flanders Fields to honor the Canadians how came before you and fought in the Great War. It is important to remember what happened just over 100 years ago in the trenches of Flanders. Now I sound like a schoolteacher! But no, this is just the soldier in me. I did my service in Goose Bay, Labrador. I honestly think it is important to know your history, what happened and why it happened so that we can create a better world for all human beings now and in the future.
Is there something that you think people may not know about Flanders?
Flanders is in the heart of Europe; it is THE Heart of Europe. We are very close to other major metropolitan areas in Europe. In under two hours you are in Paris, London, Amsterdam or Cologne. Flanders should be part of any European itinerary. It is very easy to get there. Once you are in the destination, it is very convenient to get around, by bike (we have over 12,000km of bike paths), bus, train and car. And it does not take long. All of Flanders is just about twice the size of the GTA (Great Toronto Area).
There’s been a lot of talk about the travel industry coming out better on the other side of COVID-19. What are your hopes?
Tourism is the world’s largest employer! My hope is that the travel industry has a speedy recovery so that we can continue to offer experiences that bring people together again. There is a desperate need for human beings to be social again. I can’t wait for the borders to open again. It is my hope to bring back the joy and happiness that comes out in people when they are exploring new places, trying new experiences, or reliving the old ones! When the world is ready to operate again, we will be there with open arms to welcome everyone back! I think the first ones to return to the destination will be the ones who are passionate about Flanders and what it has to offer to travelers seeking a deeper connection with the destination. We will see shifts going forward for more meaningful and sustainable experiences. Our government has done a lot of work already and created a vision for how we see travel in the future. We are calling it Travel to Tomorrow. (Visit this dedicated website to learn more about it.)
How has travel impacted your life?
When I was a little boy, I remember traveling on holiday with my family in a car. I loved traveling to places I hadn’t seen before. Each trip sparked curiosity and wonderment inside of me and I always yearned for more. I read all about the places I always wanted to go and hoped that my future employment would allow me to continue the spark I had inside me in my youth.
Even before the travel industry all of my previous jobs have required travel. The travel bug is in me! Travel broadens the mind; it educates and opens the doors to the world. Needless to say, that COVID-19 has put an abrupt stop to all my travels. Now my travel is exclusively from the bedroom to the kitchen, the living room or the home office. I look forward to my “normal” travel regiment when the time is right and when it can be done in a “safer” way.
