Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Belgian Pride Festival 2018
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier - 2018

Brussels is a diverse and multicultural city that embraces different cultural backgrounds, languages, and traditions. The city is home to 184 nationalities, making it a melting pot of cultures and identities. To ensure that everyone feels welcome, respected, and included, visit.brussels is committed to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion in every aspect of tourism.

visit.brussels actively promotes diverse cultural events and festivals that celebrate the city's unique diversity. The organisation also works to break down barriers and increase accessibility to different cultural experiences, ensuring that every visitor can enjoy all that the city has to offer.

visit.brussels aims to create a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds by partnering with hotels, restaurants, and other tourist hubs to provide tailored experiences and ensure diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of their services. The organisation also works on campaigns that promote and respect diverse communities. 

In essence, visit.brussels works hard to make sure diversity, equality and inclusion remain an essential part of the city's tourism industry. By promoting cultural diversity, breaking down barriers, and providing tailored experiences, the organisation helps ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued while exploring everything Brussels has to offer. 

How can you integrate Brussels’ diversity into your events?

A range of organisations and publications can point you in the right direction:

Diversity

Brussels in all its diversity
Did you know that Brussels is the second most cosmopolitan city in the world? The Brussels-Capital Region is home to 184 nationalities. It's the most cosmopolitan city in Europe, with almost 40% of its residents being foreign nationals. Values of openness and respect for diversity are strongly embedded in Brussels' DNA, which, in turn, is reflected in many of the Brussels-Capital Region's cultural venues and institutions. Similarly, a number of guided tours through the city will open your eyes to its diversity and immigration. Many of Brussels' neighbourhoods are glorious cultural melting pots! All that's left is for you to explore the diversity of Brussels!
>> Cultural venues to visit
>> Guided tour companies
>> Events to follow
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equal.brussels
The Brussels-Capital Region aspires to be a society in which all citizens are treated equally and without discrimination. Too many people are discriminated against based on criteria such as gender; sexual orientation or gender identity; ethnicity and cultural origin; religion; social origin or situation; or disability. equal.brussels implements the Brussels-Capital Region’s equal opportunities policy and, therefore, aims to promote equal opportunities for all Brussels citizens.
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Concert HELLO MIXITY Place de l'Albertine a Bruxelles.

Eric Danhier / EDanhier

Accessibility for all

ISTO (The International Social Tourism Organisation) – Accessible Tourism
Bringing together stakeholders from the social, sustainable and solidarity tourism sectors from all over the world, ISTO promotes accessible and responsible tourism. Accessibility is part of ISTO's DNA and the working group on Accessible Tourism for people with disabilities concerns one of ISTO’s objectives within the framework of a social tourism with a wider dimension. Through this working group, ISTO wants to develop accessible tourism through best practices, while respecting national identities and also developing practical tools and recommendations for all ISTO members and partners.
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CAWaB (Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie Bruxelles)
CAWaB brings together 21 associations and aims to defend and promote accessibility in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To defend and promote accessibility as an essential element of inclusion, CAWaB brings together associations representing people with disabilities and associations with expertise in accessibility. The idea is to communicate with one voice and to guarantee the reproducibility and validity of actions at international, federal, community or regional level.
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Access-i
Non-profit association Access-i promotes information on the accessibility of goods and services for persons with specific needs. It comprises 13 member associations, six of which are approved to perform audits. The non-profit association’s website lists each audited event, with a logo corresponding to the level of accessibility for seven categories of person with specific needs: wheelchair users, persons with walking difficulties, blind people, visually-impaired people, deaf people, hearing-impaired people and people with learning difficulties.
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Accessible Events Guide
Practical guide to organising events that are accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
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Visiting Brussels with a disability
Discover Brussels’ accessible locations and establishments.
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handy.brussels
Tourist guide for travellers with reduced mobility.
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Tourism For All
Museum
Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique
Museum des Sciences naturelles
Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen
Museum voor Natuurwetenschappen
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Museum of Natural Sciences
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy - 2017

LGBTQIA+

Brussels Pride
Brussels Pride has been held in the capital every May since 1996 and opens European Pride season. A political, festive and cultural week with, as a highlight, the Pride celebrations that take place on Saturday afternoon. On the agenda, a parade that travels through the city and a Pride Village that welcomes associations and bars, not forgetting a main stage where LGBTQIA+ artists and DJs perform for a party that attracts no less than 200,000 people. This celebration has never forgotten its origins: born of a struggle for the defence and respect of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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RainbowHouse
The RainbowHouse Brussels is home to various French and Dutch speaking LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, etc.) associations in the Brussels area. Member associations - also non-LBGTQIA ones - meet there and organise meetings at the bar. They are at your disposal to help you find legal, social, psychological or medical assistance. RainbowHouse is also a café open in the evening, where LGBTQIA+ people and their friends can receive information, enjoy a warm welcome or simply meet each other. RainbowHouse also organises several socio-cultural festivals per year.
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Visite Particulière
Visite Particulière plays a crucial role in promoting LGBTQIA+ visibility and inclusion in the cultural sector in Brussels, and their work is an important contribution to creating a more diverse and representative cultural landscape.
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Forbidden colours
Forbidden Colours advocates for positive change in LGBTQIA+ rights at the highest levels of national and European government.
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Brussels Gay Sports
BGS non-profit (Brussels Gay Sports) is an inclusive LGBTQIA+ sport association based in Brussels, Belgium. Their mission is to promote sports as a tool for social inclusion and to create a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ people to participate in sports. They offer a range of sports programmes, including volleyball, basketball, football, and running, for all skill levels and ages.
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ILGA
ILGA, or the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, is a worldwide federation based in Brussels. IGLA has more than 1,700 member organisations from over 160 countries and territories. Its mission is to promote and protect the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and communities around the world, through advocacy, research, and capacity-building initiatives. ILGA has consultative status with the United Nations and is a leading voice on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status at the international level.
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KET, the Brussels Queer magazine on paper and online
KET.brussels is a queer magazine based in Brussels. It aims to provide a platform for the LGBTQIA+ community to express their voices, share their stories, and discuss issues that affect them. The magazine covers a variety of topics, including culture, politics, art and lifestyle and features articles, interviews, reviews, and opinion pieces. KET.brussels is committed to promoting diversity, inclusivity, and social justice, and to challenging stereotypes and discrimination. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in LGBTQIA+ culture and activism in Brussels and beyond.
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The visit.brussels LGBTQIA+ Guide
The LGBTQIA+ pages on visit.brussels are dedicated sections that showcase LGBTQIA+ friendly places, such as bars, restaurants, shops, and other venues. It provides information on LGBTQIA+ events and festivals.
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