Overnight stays went up in Belgium by 7% in 2018, totalling 41,320,284 units, according to data from the Belgian Statistical Office, Statbel published on Monday.
Reservations by tourists have been on the upswing since 2015, when they amounted to 38.3 million.
Brussels-Capital Region registered the highest increase. Reservations there amounted to 6.9 million nights, a 7% increase, followed by Wallonia, with 8.2 million (+5%).
The most popular province was Western Flanders, with its coast. Holiday makers registered 12.1 million nights there, way above second-placed Antwerp Province (4.8 million) and Limbourg (4.3 million).
In Wallonia, first place went to Luxembourg Province (2.7 million), closely followed by Liège Province (2.4 million).
Hotels were the most popular destinations, representing 49% of nights reserved. Holiday homes were next, on 16%, followed by vacation parks (10%) and youth hostels, all proportions that were similar to those for 2017.
Half of the stays were reserved by Belgians. The largest contingents of tourists came from the Netherlands (12%), France (7%) and Germany (6%). The United Kingdom accounted for 5%, while significant numbers also came from Spain (2%), United States (2%) and Italy (1%).
The Brussels Times
