Taxi drivers, carriage drivers and boat tour operators are often the first contact tourists have with a new city, and the non-profit organisation Kunststeden Vlaanderen aims to use that access to make a good first impression. Flemish tourism minister Geert Bourgeois agrees and has approved funding of €305,000.

“Tourism is a very important source of income for the cities,” pointed out a spokesman for Bourgeois. “The first acquaintance with a city often takes place on the back seat of a taxi, and since first impressions are so important, we’d like to include these people in the information machine.”