70% less overnight stays in March 2021 compared to March 2019

Enterprises
70% less overnight stays in March 2021 compared to March 2019

The number of overnight stays in tourist accommodations was 851.552 in March 2021. This is only a 7% decrease compared to March 2020[1]: after all, the first lockdown took effect on 17 March 2020. On a national level, most overnight stays in March 2021 were in hotels (46%) and holiday homes (23%).

Compared to March 2019, there were 70% fewer overnight stays: the number of overnight stays in hotels decreased by 75%, in holiday parks by 73% and in youth hostels even by more than 98%.
In the Walloon Region, there were 241,600 overnight stays, which corresponds to a decrease of 53% compared to March 2019, but an increase of 30% compared to March 2020. In the Flemish and Brussels-Capital Region, 544,264 and 65,688 overnight stays were recorded respectively, this means a decrease of 68% and 89% respectively compared to March 2019 and still a decrease of 3% and 62% compared to March 2020.

Remark

Holiday parks and camping sites had to close from 3 November to 7 February. Hotels and B&Bs could stay open, but restaurants and bars had to close. Meals had to be taken in the room.
As of 8 February, holiday villages and camping sites were allowed to reopen but their pools, common indoor areas and facilities such as restaurants and bars had to remain closed.
Camps and school trips with overnight stays were still not allowed in March 2021. So there were hardly any overnight stays in the youth hostels in March either.
Exceptionally, figures for this category and for bed and breakfasts are only available at national level for the months of from January to March.
Similarly, figures for holiday villages and camping sites are (for the time being) only available at national level for the months of February and March.


[1] When interpreting the evolution between the same months of consecutive years, it is important to take into account the differences in number of holidays, school holidays or weekends between these two months. For example, the 2019 spring holidays fell entirely in March and the 2021 spring holidays fell entirely in February. The decline is therefore also partly due to this.