Belgian residents made 5.3 million trips with at least one overnight stay between January and March, with France remaining by far their most popular foreign destination.
The figure was nearly 1% higher than in the first quarter of 2025, according to preliminary data published on Monday by Belgium’s statistics office, Statbel. Almost three in 10 trips, or 28.9%, were taken within Belgium, amounting to 1.5 million journeys. The Belgian coast and the Ardennes were the most popular domestic regions.
France was the leading foreign destination with 1 million trips, well ahead of the Netherlands with 522,000 and Germany with 341,000.
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During the first quarter, Belgians also made 2.3 million day trips abroad without an overnight stay.
The first quarter is traditionally the quietest travel period of the year. In the third quarter, which includes the summer holidays, Belgians travel more than twice as often as they do in the first three months. Statbel said last week that Belgian residents made more than 31 million trips with at least one overnight stay during 2025 as a whole.
