More than 400 Belgians died while on holiday abroad last year, with the number of cycling accidents doubling, the lasting impact of Covid-19 and the high number of cases of heart failure clearly visible in the figures from funeral specialist DELA.
The repatriation centre at Brussels Airport brought about 400 deceased Belgian tourists back to Belgium for the first time since 2019 – an increase of 30% compared to 2020 and 2021, according to DELA's figures.
"Adventurous tourism, such as cycling and hiking, is clearly gaining popularity and that entails risks for inexperienced Belgians," the company said in a press release, urging tourists to "certainly enjoy a well-deserved holiday," but to also be vigilant and prepare well.
In 90% of deaths on holiday, it concerns a natural death, said Greta Plas, who manages the DELA repatriation centre. "Heart failure is the leading cause of death, followed by accidents such as a fall during a mountain hike. We do notice that adventure tourism is gaining popularity, which can entail risks for inexperienced people."
Fatal cycling accidents
Additionally, as cycling holidays are clearly on the rise, the number of fatal cycling accidents has doubled compared to a few years ago. Although this concerns a minimal share (1%) of the total number of deaths abroad, DELA stressed that the evolution does deserve the necessary attention.
On the other hand, Plas stressed that the popularity of the ski helmet among skiers and snowboarders is proving effective, as fewer Belgian tourists died on the ski slopes in 2022. "The deaths due to a Covid-19 infection on holiday are also moving in the right direction, even if the virus still accounts for 5% of the number of repatriations. The past two years, that number was more than 10%," she added.
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Contrary to what is often thought, not many Belgians die in exotic destinations or from exotic diseases: eight in ten Belgians who die abroad are on holiday in Western Europe.
"There are few shifts when we look at the countries where Belgians die. For many years, we have mainly repatriated compatriots from Spain (25%) and France (20%), which together account for almost half of all our repatriations," Plas added. "We do observe a special trend. For the first time we had to repatriate Belgians from Iceland."
After Spain and France, most Belgian tourists died in the Netherlands (6%) and Turkey (4.5%), as well as in Portugal, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and Tunisia (all 4%), and Austria, Greece and the Democratic Republic of Congo (all 2%).
