The Belgian Coast is bracing for a busy weekend as the sun makes a comeback, but neither the mayors of coastal towns polled on Friday nor the provincial tourism office, Westtoer, expect any major surprises.
Many coastal hotels have registered 90% occupancy, although others had lower rates and yet others remained closed.
After long weeks of rain, wind, and cool weather, the sun is back, and the mayors expect a good weekend.
“The weather will be better than in the past few weeks, but we won’t hit summer highs on the coast,” Knokke-Heist Mayor Piet De Groote predicted. “Moreover, it’s exams time, which means the crowd will be less dense.”
Ostend and Blankenberge, two favourite destinations for one-day excursions, also do not expect a rush on their beaches.
“We are ready, like every weekend,” said Ostend Mayor Bart Tommelein. “We don’t envisage any overcrowding.”
Blankenberge is banking on its crowd-control squad of police and student jobbers. “Judging from the occupancy rates in the hotels, many people will come but there are still rooms available,” Mayor Daphné Dumery said. “We don’t expect a massive influx but we’re keeping a close watch.”
Westtoer recommends that visitors look up the specific health measures for coastal communes before taking off for the Coast, and consult its crowd barometer at lelittoral.be.
The Brussels Times
