Tourism establishments on the Belgian coast recorded a 10% drop in the number of overnight stays during July compared with last year, according to figures published on Friday by the Westtoer tourist office.
In its summer report, the average occupancy rate for hotels on the coast hovered around 70% in July. The tourist board believes that the start of the summer holidays in French-speaking Belgium in the second week of July is one of the reasons why the number of overnight stays in the region has fallen.
While there were 10% fewer overnight stays among Flemish tourists, the figure for French-speaking Belgians fell by 15%. Westtoer adds that the poor weather has not helped the industry.
On the other hand, the number of nights booked by foreign holidaymakers has risen by 10% compared to 2022. Germans were the most numerous visitors to the seaside, ahead of the French and Dutch. The number of nights spent in holiday homes was in line with last year.
Related News
- Large crowds expected on the Belgian coast this weekend
- Could climate change see Belgian coast become overrun with foreign tourists?
“Although the number of bookings was lower than last year, the number of overnight stays remained similar. Despite the typically Belgian summer, a large number of last-minute stays were also recorded”, the report stated. Mobile phone data shows that 2.3 million day-trippers visited the Coast in July, 15-20% fewer than in the same period last year.
The number of overnight stays booked for August is currently lower than last year. “The tourism sector is hoping for good, stable summer weather to enable an increase in last-minute stays,” the tourist board concluded.
