A record number of people in Belgium chose home exchanges as their holiday destination this summer. Both for staying in Belgium and abroad, holidaymakers are sold by the thought of a more authentic and sustainable experience.
The concept of home exchange first made a breakthrough in the 2006 film 'The Holiday', in which UK-based Kate Winslet and US-based Cameron Diaz swap houses, with Diaz ending up in a cosy cottage set in the Surrey countryside and Winslet lucking out with a huge Californian villa. While this may set unrealistic expectations, the concept is comparable to what is offered in real life, and an increasing number of people are opting for this type of experience.
In Belgium, in particular, the number of people staying overnight in someone else's home via the HomeExchange platform has increased by 24% since last summer, with 5,000 people going on 1,383 exchanges in July and August, accounting for 33,000 overnight stays – a local record, according to Charles-Édouard Girard, the co-founder of HomeExchange.
"In recent months, we have really experienced an increase among Belgians who opted for home exchange," he said. "The HomeExchange concept is very different from traditional tourism and offers Belgians an authentic and sustainable way to (re)discover the world and even their own country."
What are the most popular destinations?
More and more people who opt for home exchanges do so within the country's borders: 10% of all swaps took place in Belgium this summer, compared to just 5% three years ago. "The reasons range from a budget-friendly choice to more sustainable travel, or simply wanting to discover their own country," said Girard.
The largest share of exchanges in the summer holiday months took place in Flanders (29%), followed by 28% in Wallonia and 15% in the Brussels-Capital Region. In Flanders, Ghent was the most popular destination, with 163 exchanges. Bruges was the second most booked, with 134 exchanges, followed by Antwerp with 97 exchanges.
More than 50% of people on the platform travel outside the country's borders, with most opting for neighbouring countries in the summer. The French cities of Paris and Marseille were by far the favourite destinations this summer, partly due to the country hosting the 2024 Olympics.
Destinations outside the European Union are declining in popularity: while in 2021, 17% of exchanges booked by people in Belgium took place further afield, the figure dropped to 9% this summer. In July and August, Canada and the United States were the most popular places to stay.
