Brugge Institutes New Rules for Walking Tours

Image: Image of famous most photographed location in Bruges, Belgium during dramatic sunset. (photo via RudyBalasko / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: Image of famous most photographed location in Bruges, Belgium during dramatic sunset. (photo via RudyBalasko / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 6:12 PM ET, Mon March 19, 2018

Tour operators are scrambling to meet the requirements of a new law in Brugge, Belgium.

The new regulations state that guided tours of 25 or more people must be led by audio headsets.

Vox S.p.A., one of the most popular retailers for audio guide services and headsets, has seen sales spike over the last couple of weeks as tour operators rush to comply with the new requirements, making urgent requests to acquire headsets from the company by the April deadline.

"We have been inundated with calls about Belgium and have created a dedicated contact address for partners and new requests at [email protected], to answer queries, take orders and rush supplies," said Elio Epifani, Vox group president. "We are offering a special headset price reduction for operators wanting a short-term lease, but we suggest they act quickly as our stocks are limited."

Vox CMO, John Boulding, who oversees the new POPGuide high-performance mapping app and audio-guide system, is also offering a solution for tour operators who are not able to get headsets in time.

"We are also ready to offer free downloads of our Brugge digital map for anyone who has been caught out by this new regulation," Boulding said. "It's a great solution for self-guided group or individual tours as points-of-interest are geo-tagged and include navigation".

Brugge is certainly a highlight for travelers in Belgium. The well-maintained medieval city entices visitors with its charming cobblestone streets, quiet canals and artistic heritage. The city is also known to tickle the sweet tooth, offering up some of the world's best chocolate.


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