It is not new, the Dutch invasion in the heart of Antwerp. For two weeks now, day in day out, the car has been queuing at the shops on the Meir, and for a table in a restaurant: ,,I only hear positive news from shopkeepers,’ says Nico Volckeryck of the Neutraal Syndicate for Self-employed (NSZ).
He himself is the owner of the geek store Fans in the Kammenstraat, where he also notices today that the big crowds have passed. “Let’s hope they keep coming back in the future. I heard many Dutch customers say that they discovered Antwerp and fell in love with the city. In that respect, the Dutch lockdown is the best advertising campaign ever for Antwerp.”
The financial damage of the year 2020, which also included a lockdown, has not yet fully recovered: “But we can speak of a great Christmas holiday,” says Volckeryck.
The shopkeepers of the Shopping Stadsfeestzaal are also recovering from a hectic Saturday today. “It is remarkably quieter here,” said spokesman Hans D’hondt, who blames the reopening of the schools. ,,Both Flemish and Dutch families are getting ready for the new semester and we feel that like every year. We can say that the crowds today correspond to what we expect on every second Sunday of the new year.”
#Antwerp #happy #Dutch #invasion #lockdown #advertising #campaign #city