Tourists flock to the ugliest city in the world
The Belgian city of Charleroi was proclaimed the ugliest city in the world 12 years ago.
Twelve years ago, Charleroi was declared the ugliest city in the world, but thanks to that negative publicity, it attracted many tourists.
After the media once reported that a Dutch newspaper declared it the ugliest city in the world, this city used the opportunity to turn negative publicity in its favor and modernize its tourist offer.
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Charleroi is known for its ironworks and coal mines, and its views, filled with old, industrial buildings, tell stories about the history of the city, where many factories closed their doors in the 1950s. However, in the last decade, after receiving the infamous title, Charleroi began a kind of transformation. Namely, as more and more emphasis is placed on tourism in this industrial city, last year the city published a new official tourist guide in French, Dutch and English, writes Telesambre.
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"We put the emphasis on sightseeing because we believe that our tourists are interested, especially during the pandemic," said Tomar Parmentier, who writes professionally on tourism topics, while Valerie Demanet, director of the Tourist Board, added:
"We in Charleroi have everything we need to be a tourist destination: restaurants, nightclubs, bars, accommodation, shopping malls. However, in the guide, we focused on the experiences that can be experienced in our city: street art, museums, cultural heritage, walks, events, sports activities."
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While the tourist community is conventionally trying to revive the city's tourism, one citizen has chosen an innovative approach to advertising his city, write Telerama and Ouest-France.
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Nicholas Buisar, a young man from Charleroi, organized unusual tourist tours of the city during which he discovers the alleged ugliness of the city. He finds a kind of poetry in his area and in the remains of the industrial heritage. His paradoxical approach caused controversy, but it was not unsuccessful.
"If we can't say it's the most beautiful city in the world, at least we can say it's the ugliest. It's a marketing trick. Besides, by what criteria is it the ugliest? The center is full of beautiful locations," Nicolas concludes.
By: Helen B.
