Dutch artist’s tree tents providing an alternative holiday option for Belgians this summer
- The teardrop-shaped hanging tents are both art and a place to stay, Dutch artist and creator Dre Wapenaar says, costing US$79 a night
- Though the tents are normally booked out each year, this summer’s bookings went much faster, as Belgium’s government warned against international travel
Rather than take a summer holiday abroad during the coronavirus pandemic, some Belgians are trying a novel camping experience at home, spending a night in a teardrop-shaped tent hanging from a tree.
The idea of Dutch artist Dre Wapenaar, the tree tents double as an art installation and are considered sculpture, rather than a commercially produced tent.
“The tents are fully booked every summer, but this year, the bookings went much faster. If we had more tents, they would also be taken every day of July and August,” said Katrien Houbey, head of tourism for the eastern town of Borgloon, which has hosted four tents along a tree-lined field since 2011.
“I believe it’s because of the government’s guidelines to travel in your own country. So people started searching for alternatives to stay somewhere,” she said.
