A Brussels Guide to Inclusion

With his infectious enthusiasm and quiet determination, Frédéric Boutry has been nudging Brussels in a more inclusive direction for years. As an expert at visit.brussels, he connects nightlife lovers, sports fans, and LGBTQIA+ travellers with a city that wants to explicitly welcome them.

Thanks to his commitment and ambition, VIAGE can call itself the first casino in the world to hold a Queer Destinations Committed label. Something that, as it turns out, wasn't exactly an obvious outcome.

The man behind the label

About 14 years ago, Frédéric Boutry joined Visit.Brussels, the tourism office of the Brussels-Capital Region. Within the organisation, he takes on three seemingly different domains: nightlife, diversity, and major sporting events. In practice, they form a single whole. His mission is to make events and initiatives succeed, so that as many visitors as possible find their way to Brussels.

During the previous legislative term, the Brussels government decided to invest more heavily in inclusion in tourism and hospitality. Frédéric was given a clear assignment. "The ambition for more inclusive tourism had long been part of the Region's mandate. I was hired at the time to turn Brussels into a European LGBT capital," he explains. That focus on hospitality led to a concrete action plan: training organisations, developing labels, and bringing partners along in a global cultural shift.

Together with the Brussels authorities, Frédéric set out to find a partner that would make inclusion concrete and workable for hotels and tourism players. "We searched across Europe for the best training. It had to be simple, effective, and easy to implement. In the end, we chose Queer Destinations," he says. That label originated in Spain and Mexico and is now well established among major hotel brands and tourist regions such as the Basque Country and Mallorca.

A casino as a pioneer

Along the way, his path crossed that of Siham Makrache, Marketing & PR Director at VIAGE. "During our conversation, she immediately saw an opportunity in it for VIAGE. And I saw that opportunity as even bigger, because today VIAGE is the first casino in the world to receive the Queer Destinations Committed label," he says with obvious pride.

A casino attracts staff and visitors from all over the world. Yet VIAGE was not an obvious choice, precisely because its profile is so international and diverse. "When I was asked whether VIAGE would take part, I saw the challenge straight away. If you know the diversity of the staff, you know that people from all over Europe and beyond come together there, and that they in turn meet customers who come from just as far away," he explains. "Not everyone has learned at home how to treat others inclusively. That makes the challenge a big one." Only once nearly 100% of staff have completed the training a company receives the label.

At VIAGE, the will was present, and that made the difference. The pace at which the entire team was guided through the Queer Destinations training surprised Frédéric. "Between the first discussion and full implementation, it went relatively quickly. I felt a real drive from management to go far – and to bring the entire workforce along. That is remarkable."

The establishment on Boulevard Anspach also became the first private business in Brussels to officially commit to the programme.

More than a label on the wall

The Queer Destinations Committed label isn't just a nice logo for the door. It's a catalyst for real change. In some hotels, after the training, staff dared to openly share for the first time that they are lesbian or gay, simply because they finally felt safe enough to do so.

That shift reaches travellers too. For LGBTQIA+ tourists, it comes down to simple but crucial questions: can I ask for a double bed for my partner and me, without strange looks? Will I be accepted as a couple, just as I am? Such details determine whether a stay feels carefree and pleasant.

What's more, the qualification stays with the employees who took the training – even if they later go to work somewhere else. In this way, each trained individual carries the story of inclusion with them throughout their entire career. The best proof of the power of education.

View all articles