Belgians spent 26.3% less if they did travel in 2020

In the corona year 2020, Belgians made 11.4 million trips, a decrease of just under 50% compared to 2019.
Belgians travelled not only less, but also less far: the average distance of a trip, 720 km, was over 300 km shorter than in previous years. In 2020, 72% travelled by car and only 18% by plane, whereas in previous years the figure was around 60% for the car and 30% for the plane.

Less than half of the fellow Belgians (46%) made a trip with at least one overnight stay. In 2019, this figure was still 70%. 34% took a trip abroad (64% in 2019).

The main reason for not travelling was the government's recommendations: 57% of the countrymen who stayed at home gave this as the main reason for not travelling. Financial reasons were important for some population groups: single-parent families (47%) and unemployed people (40%) stayed at home for lack of money.

The number of trips abroad in 2020 was 59% lower than in the previous year and the number of overnight stays halved. Domestic trips decreased by 20%, but the number of overnight stays in our country only decreased by 6.5%. In the Ardennes in particular, the number of overnight stays was 30% higher than in 2019 (5.9 million): people clearly opted more for longer trips in the south of the country.

Travel budget

Belgians also spent a lot less than in 2019: the average expenditure per trip decreased by 150 euros, which is 26.3% less than the year before. Belgians spent about 24% of the budget on transport costs, almost 41% on accommodation expenses and about 24% on meals. About 10% other expenses complete the picture.

The average expenditure per day was even 33% lower than in 2019; Belgians spent €28 less per day.