Bucket List challenge aimed at Brussels international expat community

In the hope of luring expats living in Brussels to the surrounding region’s charms, the local tourism agency has launched an expat bucket list centred on the Flemish Brabant province.

According to local estimates, some 200,000 expatriate professionals are living and working in the Belgian capital of Brussels. For those wishing to get to know Belgium’s rural heartland and enjoy days away from the crowded city, their only hope up until now has been word of mouth and insider information as to where to go. The Bucket List website will lure tired townies to regional local colour where they can relax and get to know the real Belgium.

The website’s format identifies 20 challenges for expats who’d love to know more about their adopted country but don’t know how to go about it. For example, they'll be encouraged to visit local farmers’ markets, sample local beers, cycle along a rural route and try other such time-out delights. Each one they complete gives a local score, and participants can challenge their expat colleagues to better their scores. It’s an innovative way to persuade expat professionals to sample the delights of the Belgian countryside and deserves to be successful simply due to its originality.

One expat’s already convinced the idea will become a success following its launch, saying that sharing experiences on social media with friends and family back in the home country is a fantastic idea. The scheme, he adds, is fascinating, interesting, fun and quirky, and should be a crowd-puller amongst the Brussels international community. To give the plan a kick-start, the Tourism Flemish Brabant board will go on tour with the Bucket List, actively singling out events attracting the most expat participants. As if this wasn’t enough, the tourism authority will also launch an online newsletter focusing on the region’s hidden gems and targeting the Brussels international community.