Tourism figures 2019

Enterprises
Tourist accommodations: Belgium, regions and provinces

42,512,847 overnight stays have been booked in Belgium in 2019. That is 3 % more than in 2018. This is what emerged from the new annual figures about tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Belgium from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. Figures are published at the level of Belgium, regions and provinces.[1] These tables also show the countries of origin and the type of accommodation (hotel, holiday park, holiday home, etc.). The number of overnight stays has increased by 6 % in the Walloon Region and in the Brussels-Capital Region. The Flemish Region registered in 2019 a 1 % increase compared to 2018. One overnight stay out of two is booked in a hotel. Belgian residents account for half of all tourist overnight stays. 

Overnight stays by region (2015-2019)

  2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Belgium 38,380,415 36,855,214 38,677,308 41,320,284 42,512,847
Flemish Region 24,379,810 23,894,894 24,511,335 26,126,619 26,356,863
Walloon Region 7,557,392 7,749,825 7,830,796 8,200,604 8,727,266
Brussels-Capital Region 6,443,213 5,210,495 6,335,177 6,993,061 7,428,718

Overnight stays by Province (2015-2019)

  2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Province of Antwerp 4,204,366 4,241,787 4,333,706 4,864,460 4,912,144
Province of Flemish Brabant 2,017,825 1,843,751 2,030,847 2,295,796 2,348,709
Province of Walloon Brabant 463,620 429,537 479,080 488,009 507,424
Province of West Flanders 11,981,763 11,651,144 11,776,860 12,182,123 12,117,431
Province of East Flanders 2,110,766 2,015,947 2,264,035 2,454,113 2,565,512
Province of Hainaut 1,119,235 1,183,443 1,225,305 1,296,905 1,337,620
Province of Liège 2,206,057 2,341,931 2,412,971 2,468,194 2,590,225
Province of Limburg 4,065,090 4,142,265 4,105,887 4,330,127 4,413,067
Province of Luxembourg 2,528,170 2,565,695 2,417,871 2,733,464 2,881,127
Province of Namur 1,240,310 1,229,219 1,295,569 1,214,032 1,410,870

Half of the overnight stays in Belgium were booked in a hotel (49 %), followed by holiday homes[2] (16 %), holiday parks (13 %) and youth hostels (10 %). These proportions are practically the same as those of 2018.

Foreign tourists book 60 % of their overnight stays in a hotel, compared to 38 % of overnight stays booked by Belgian residents.

horeca

Figures on the countries of origin of the people who booked these overnight stays were also collected:

  • 50 % of overnight stays in Belgium were booked by Belgians in 2019.
  • 39 % of overnight stays were booked by travellers from another EU Member State. The Netherlands (13 %), France (7 %), Germany (7 %), the United Kingdom (4 %), Spain (2 %) and Italy (2 %) are the main countries of origin.
  • The main countries of origin outside Europe are the United States, with 2.3 % of overnight stays, China (0.7 %), Russia (0.6 %), Japan (0.4 %) and Brazil (0.4 %).
  • However, there are major differences among provinces and regions regarding the proportions of Belgians and foreigners as well as the country of origin. You will find all the information in the published tables.

 


[1]From 2019 onwards, Statbel no longer publishes municipal figures. For figures at a more detailed level than provinces, please contact: Toerisme Vlaanderen , Commissariat général au Tourisme  or BISA

[2] The figures about holiday homes are based on a sample.