Iconic cars from the beloved TinTin comic are on display at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
Iconic cars from the beloved TinTin comic are on display at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
The Autoworld museum lost 50% of its visitors in the first year of the pandemic. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
The Autoworld museum lost 50% of its visitors in the first year of the pandemic. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
Autoworld, like most other museums, relies on foreign visitors. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
Autoworld, like most other museums, relies on foreign visitors. /Moulinsart/Autoworld
CLICK ON THE ARROWS TO SCROLL THE GALLERY
A new exhibition of Belgian comic strip cars, The Adventures of Tintin, aims to draw international attention to the Autoworld museum in Brussels.
Sébastien de Baere, the museum’s general manager, said: “The museum lost 50% of its visitors in the first year of the pandemic and 30% last year.”
In the cultural and tourism sector, places like Autoworld need foreign visitors to recover. Some are already there. A man admiring the vehicles said: “I’m from Greece, I’m here with my friends, we’re on a short vacation. After the coronavirus, we haven’t had many opportunities to travel.”
“I’m from Brazil,” said a woman walking through the collection. “I’m on vacation and visiting a friend who lives here. This is my first trip since the pandemic started. I’m really excited about the museum.”
Created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, TinTin was one of the most popular cartoons of the 20th century. /Brendan Hunter/Getty Creative via CFP
Created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, TinTin was one of the most popular cartoons of the 20th century. /Brendan Hunter/Getty Creative via CFP
But as the visitors return, there is another crisis. The annual inflation rate in the euro zone reached 5.8% in February. During this period, energy recorded the highest price increase of 31.7%. The vehicles on display at Autoworld may be the only cars in Brussels spared the rising cost of refueling, but where they are parked is suffering.
De Baere explained: “We are in a listed building, it is 15,000 square meters. There is underfloor heating, gas, and my bill tripled in January. We must anticipate the fact that the energy crisis is happening now. need to find a way to pay the bills. »
Belgium is just emerging from the restrictions on life caused by the pandemic. This week ended the mask mandate in most public places, meaning museum visitors can walk around without face coverings.
Across Europe, the easing of coronavirus measures, combined with the EU’s $1.2 trillion economic recovery fund, has promised the continent’s exit from financial woes. Last month alone, 4% growth was predicted for the EU economy this year. But the bloc’s economic chief now says the conflict in Ukraine has changed that to “a more negative situation”.
Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for the Economy, said: “When it comes to the economy, business as usual is not an option. We all know that this crisis will weaken our growth.
And Autoworld, along with many other sectors of the economy, will suffer if the brakes are slammed.