Last summer, France accounted for a third of all trips abroad by Belgians
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes today the figures from its survey on holidays and travels for the 3rd quarter of 2023. During this period, 8,705,000 trips were made in Belgium or abroad.
0.5% increase in travel compared to the 3rd quarter of 2022
In the 3rd quarter of 2023, there were 1.79 million domestic trips and 6.92 million trips abroad. Compared to same quarter in 2022, this is a decrease of 10.4% and an increase of 3.8%, respectively.
It should be noted that trips abroad in the 3rd quarter of 2023 are still below the peak of 2019, when 7.15 million trips were recorded during the summer period.
14% increase in travel in France compared to the 3rd quarter of 2022
The two most popular foreign destinations for Belgians have become even more popular this year. Belgians made 2.38 million trips to France in the summer 2023, wich is a 14.0% increase compared to 2022. This is more than a third (34.3%) of all trips abroad.
Spain is another destination that is growing in popularity. 0.79 million trips took place there, an increase of 9.4% compared to 2022.
22.6% decrease in trips to the Ardennes compared to the 3rd quarter of 2022
Most domestic trips decreased in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. Indeed, trips have decreased by:
- 22.6% for the Ardennes
- 15.2% for the cities of art
- 4.8% for the coast
Number of travels by destination, duration and motif, 2022 (in milliers)
Destination | Trips of 1 to 3 nights | Trips of 4 nights or more | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Holidays | Professional trip | Total | Holidays | Professional trip | Total | |
Total | 7,955 | 736 | 8,691 | 12,584 | 489 | 13,073 |
European Union | 7,705 | 661 | 8,366 | 10,553 | 321 | 10,874 |
Belgium | 4,012 | 139 | 4,151 | 1,573 | 35 | 1,608 |
France | 1,559 | 172 | 1,731 | 3,179 | 69 | 3,248 |
the Netherlands | 1,035 | 87 | 1,122 | 570 | 14 | 584 |
Germany | 434 | 84 | 518 | 410 | 41 | 451 |
Spain | 132 | 34 | 165 | 1,720 | 44 | 1,764 |
Italia | 106 | 38 | 145 | 1,033 | 24 | 1,058 |
Other EU | 427 | 107 | 534 | 2,069 | 93 | 2,161 |
Other European countries | 193 | 56 | 249 | 904 | 57 | 961 |
Africa | 47 | 3 | 50 | 662 | 40 | 702 |
North-America | . | 6 | 6 | 155 | 27 | 181 |
South-America | . | 2 | 2 | 97 | 8 | 104 |
Asia + Oceania | 10 | 7 | 18 | 214 | 37 | 250 |
Statbel (Direction générale Statistique - Statistics Belgium) |
Purpose and brief description
Travelling, whether domestic or international, for business or holiday, is becoming increasingly important in our way of life. This brochure presents the main results of a survey on the travel behaviour of Belgians. Travel habits have been followed since 1997 via a continuous quarterly survey amongst households. You will find here data regarding the duration and the motives of the trip, the destination, the accommodation type, the means of transport used and how the trip has been organised. The traveller's origin is also surveyed.
Population
Inhabitants in Belgium
Data collection method and sample size
Survey technique based on the use of paper questionnaires
Frequency
Annually.
Timing of publication
Results available 6 months after the reference period
Definitions
Number of trips: Trips of the inhabitants with at least one overnight stay. Day trips are also taken into account since 2014.
Duration of the trip: The duration of the trip is measured as the number of nights.
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).
Traveller: person who travels during the reporting period.
Low-skilled people are people who have at best a lower secondary education diploma. Medium-skilled people have obtained an upper secondary education diploma, but no higher education diploma. High-skilled people have a higher education diploma.