47 % decrease in hotel occupancy in July
The number of overnight stays spent in Belgian tourist accommodations in July 2020 amounted to 4.87 millions. 23% of them took place in a hotel. 3,385,157 overnight stays were registered in the Flemish Region, 1,343,589 in the Walloon Region and 141,037 in Brussels.
Although this is a significant recovery compared to the previous months and the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 crisis, this is nevertheless a 17 % decrease compared to July 2019. If the decrease is huge in Brussels with 79 % fewer overnight stays than a year earlier, it is also significant in Flanders (-13 %). The Walloon Region is doing well, since we even observe a 2 % increase compared to July 2019.
Hotels are the main victims of this early summer with a 47 % decrease in occupancy, while tourist accommodations (+45 %), camping sites (+14 %) and holiday homes (+2 %) registered good results.
This is due, among others, to the disaffection of foreign tourists. Belgian clients accounted for 74 % of overnight stays, compared to 58 % a year earlier.
Overnight stays in 2019 by region and most common countries of origin (a)
| REGION | Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 42,512,847 | 26,356,863 | 8,727,266 | 7,428,718 |
| Belgium | 21,308,009 | 14,757,039 | 4,897,537 | 1,653,433 |
| Non-residents | 20,661,034 | 11,228,449 | 3,751,359 | 5,681,226 |
| The Netherlands | 5,461,436 | 3,264,876 | 1,912,918 | 283,642 |
| France | 2,829,186 | 1,409,674 | 612,295 | 807,217 |
| Germany | 2,796,175 | 1,910,963 | 385,110 | 500,102 |
| United Kingdom | 1,883,676 | 1,211,275 | 201,255 | 471,146 |
| United States | 962,845 | 425,494 | 49,685 | 487,666 |
| Spain | 854,118 | 306,569 | 42,352 | 505,197 |
| Italy | 640,530 | 264,190 | 75,139 | 301,201 |
| Other | 5,233,068 | 2,435,408 | 472,605 | 2,325,055 |
| "(a) The figures include both real holidays and stays related to congresses, seminars, conferences and other professional purposes. Source: Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium)" | ||||
Arrivals in 2019 per region and type of accommodation (a)
| Region | Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (nace 55) | 18,057,611 | 10,442,652 | 3,695,840 | 3,919,119 |
| Hotels (nace 55.1) | 11,754,279 | 6,132,862 | 1,921,570 | 3,699,847 |
| Youth hostels (NACE 55.201) | 1,572,645 | 1,174,296 | 214,088 | 184,261 |
| Holiday centres and villages (NACE 55.202) | 1,449,557 | 1,061,405 | 388,152 | |
| Holiday homes and appartments (NACE 55.203) | 1,498,080 | 799,054 | 693,930 | 5,096 |
| Guest rooms (NACE 55.204) | 652,756 | 524,197 | 98,644 | 29,915 |
| Holiday and other short-stay accommodation (NACE 55.209) | 286,247 | 286,247 | ||
| Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks (NACE 55.3) | 844,047 | 464,591 | 379,456 | |
| "(a) The figures include both real holidays and stays related to congresses, seminars, conferences and other professional purposes. Source: Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium)" | ||||
Overnight stays in 2019 by region and type of accommodation (a)
| Region | Belgium | Flemish Region | Walloon Region | Brussels-Capital Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (nace 55) | 42,512,847 | 26,356,863 | 8,727,266 | 7,428,718 |
| Hotels (nace 55.1) | 20,794,744 | 10,638,565 | 3,125,675 | 7,030,504 |
| Youth hostels (NACE 55.201) | 4,308,431 | 3,395,991 | 590,303 | 322,137 |
| Holiday centres and villages (NACE 55.202) | 5,543,056 | 4,099,803 | 1,443,253 | |
| Holiday homes and appartments (NACE 55.203) | 6,935,286 | 4,746,229 | 2,177,224 | 11,833 |
| Guest rooms (NACE 55.204) | 1,175,388 | 946,218 | 164,926 | 64,244 |
| Holiday and other short-stay accommodation (NACE 55.209) | 710,602 | 710,602 | ||
| Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks (NACE 55.3) | 3,045,340 | 1,819,455 | 1,225,885 | |
| "(a) The figures include both real holidays and stays related to congresses, seminars, conferences and other professional purposes. Source: Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium)" | ||||
Purpose and brief description
The purpose of this survey is to measure the volume of domestic and inbound tourism, expressed in number of arrivals and overnight stays, by purpose of the trip and country of residence of the guest.
Population
Accommodation establishments
Frequency
Monthly.
Timing of publication
Results available 3 months after the reference period
Definitions
Country of residence of the tourist: the country of residence is the country where the traveller has lived for most of the past 12 months.
Type of accommodation: the collective tourist accommodation establishments are divided according to the NACE code.
Number of arrivals: an arrival is defined as a person who arrives at a collective accommodation establishment and stays there at least one night. Arrivals are registered by country of residence of the guest and by purpose of the trip.
Number of overnight stays: An overnight stay is each night a guest spends or is registered in a collective accommodation establishment. Overnight stays are registered by country of residence of the guest and by purpose of the trip.
Purpose of the trip: there is only one main purpose for a trip, in the absence of which the trip would not have taken place. The Directive distinguishes two main reasons to travel:(i) business and professional; (ii) holidays, recreation and leisure. Holidays due to 'Visits to friends and relatives' should be included in point (ii).