Tourism Flanders and the Province of West Flanders will invest €8 million over the coming years to develop World War I remembrance tourism.
The In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres will undergo a complete overhaul. Other historical sites and museums related to the war will also be modernised.
Remembrance tourism has brought international recognition to the Westhoek region, attracting 352,000 visitors in 2024. Of these, 30% came from the United Kingdom, along with visitors from Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and Australia. Many sites in the region were revitalised 100 years after the end of the war.
“We must give these places a new impulse to keep them relevant for peace education while preserving their global significance,” said Jurgen Vanlerberghe, chair of Westtoer. In response, Flemish Tourism Minister Melissa Depraetere and the Province of West Flanders will launch a funding initiative in spring 2026 to enhance accessibility and refurbishment of sites and museums. Four million euros in subsidies are allocated for these upgrades.
An additional €4 million will be dedicated to the total renovation of the In Flanders Fields Museum. The goal is to transform the museum into a state-of-the-art attraction, ensuring its status as a key landmark for World War I heritage in Flanders.
Minister Depraetere emphasised the importance of the message conveyed by the remembrance museums. “With extremists like Putin and Trump in powerful positions, the threats come directly towards us,” she explained. “We must continue investing in remembering history to remind ourselves of the enduring need to fight for freedom and security.”
