Tourism
in Key figures
edition 2015
in Key figures
“Tourism in Key figures” provides a convenient overview
of the major trends in international tourism and the tourism flows to, from, and in Flanders.
In 2014 Flanders counted 29.5 million overnight stays and
12 million arrivals This publication provides information
on the place of stay, the timing of the visit and the reason
why these tourists chose Flanders as their destination.
2014 was the beginning of the remembrance of the Great
War, an event that could count on great international interest in the Westhoek Region.
Tourism
edition 2015
For a more in-depth analysis of these key figures, we
refer the reader to our other available publications.
VISITFLANDERS conducts new research and publishes
updated arrival and overnight figures on a regular basis.
Consult www.toerismevlaanderen.be/figures to get
regular updates on new tourism figures and research.
Peter De Wilde
CEO VISITFLANDERS
Evolution of international tourist
arrivals 1980-2014 (in millions)
The graph shows that tourism remains a growing sector, with intermittent periods of slower growth:
1200
+309%
1000
2003: sars virus in asia
resulted in a decrease
800
600
In 2012 the milestone of
1 billion tourist arrivals
was exceeded
2001: september
11 attacks
400
200
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
0
2000
2009: effects of
the financial crisis
In 2011 and 2012 a noticeable recovery
Source: UNWTO
Evolution of international tourist
arrivals 1950-2014 by continent
(in millions)
Europe
580
264
182
amerika
asia and the pacific
52
middle-east
africa
56
Source: UNWTO
2014 / Number of arrivals and
overnight stays in Flanders
2004 - 2014 / Evolution overnight stays
and arrivals in Flanders
overnight stays
%
arrivals
%
average
lenght of stay (nights)
Flemish region
22,972,964
78%
8,648,315
72%
2.7
Brussels region
6,611,933
22%
3,420,194
28%
1.9
Flanders
29,584,897
Belgium
100%
36,084,461
12,068,509100%
2.5
14,930,308
2.4
Overnight stays
29%
41%
Coast
8 million
Art cities
12 million
31%
Flemish countryside
9 million
Arrivals
overnight stays
35,000,000
53%
30%
Coast
2 million
Art cities
6 million
Flemish
Countryside
4 million
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
+6%
14,000,000
30,000,000
12,000,000
25,000,000
10,000,000
20,000,000
17%
arrivals
+32%
8,000,000
15,000,000
6,000,000
10,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
2,000,000
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2014 / Division of overnight stays
in the art cities
1.8
1.9
MLN
Antwerp
15%
MLN
bruges
1.0
8%
16%
MLN
Brussels
0.4
MLN
ghent
6.6
0.2
MLN
Leuven
4%
55%
MLN
mechelen
2%
Total 12 million
Average lenght of stay 1.9 nights
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2014 / Division of overnight stays in the
Flemish countryside
1%
Randstedelijk gebied Antwerp-Mechelen
19%
2014 / Seasonality of overnight stays
in Flanders
1,800,000
30%
1,600,000
1,400,000
1.7 mln
7%
westhoek
meetjesland
Brugse
ommeland
0.7 mln
5%
leiestreek
1,200,000
3%
2%
3%
2.8 mln
1,000,000
antwerpse
kempen
waasland
15%
scheldeland
2%
3%
1.4 mln
art cities
800,000
limburgse
kempen
4%
flemish countryside
400,000
maasland
2%
600,000
coast
200,000
2%
vlaamse
ardennen
groene
gordel
hageland
haspengouw
1%
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
voeren
2%
The distribution of overnight stays throughout the year varies depending on the destination. Tourism at the coast and in the Flemish
countryside is very seasonal, whereas the occupancy in the art cities
is more evenly distributed throughout the year. At the coast 35% of
overnight stays takes place in the months July and August and in the
Hasselt en omgeving
total 9 million
Average lenght of stay 2.5 nights
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
Flemish countryside 31% of overnight stays occur during the summer
months. In the art cities the two summer months count for 19% of the
year total. There is clearly less commercial tourism in the winter at the
coast, while the Flemish countryside still receives a reasonable amount
of overnight stays.
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2014 / Top 10 of the foreign arrivals
by country of origin
20%
Netherlands
15%
United kingdom
France
1,337,669
14%
920,845
1,004,543
4%
Italy
2%
China
259,057
21%
132,679
Other
1,447,378
11%
Germany
771,534
5%
USA
345,072
5%
2%
2%
Spain
Japan
switzerland
342,619
108,342
95,519
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2014 / Overnight stays in Flanders by type
of accomodation and by purpose of stay
overnight stays by type of accommodation
61%
Hotels
3%
Bed & Breakfasts
16%
overnight stays by motive
72%
6%
10%
Camp sites
14%
1%
leisure and
holiday
Holiday parcs &
holiday centres
18%
Youth
accommodation
conference, congress
and seminar
other business
purposes
Other holiday
accommodation
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2014 / Gross occupancy rate in hotels
Evolution tourist accommodation
supply in Flanders
number of establishments, by type of
accommodation
capacity in persons, by type of accommodation
2014Share 2014
2014Share 2014
Hotels
1,105
32%
Hotels
100,707
Bed & Breakfasts
1,532
44%
Bed & Breakfasts
10,535
4%
Camp sites
189
5%
Camp sites
41,070
17%
Holiday parks and holiday centres
75
2%
Holiday parks and holiday centres
35,172
14%
Youth accommodation
589
17%
Youth accommodation
59,430
24%
84
2%
Other holiday accommodation
1,686
1%
Other holiday accommodation
Flanders
3,490 100%
Flanders
number of establishments,
by destination
Trend
2013
20142013-2014
Coast
Respons rate in rooms
art cities
2007: 69%
2014: 79%
coast
2007: 62%
2014: 65%
flemish
countryside
Flemish countryside
Art cities
2007: 20%
2014: 40%
246,914 100%
capacity in persons, by destination
Share
2014
Trend
2013
20142013-2014
Share
2014
486
505
+3.9%
16%
Coast
57,026
55,899
-2.0%
1,841
2,080
+13.0%
58%
Flemish countryside
116,558
119,424
+2.5%
22%
48%
825
989
+19.9%
26%
Art cities
70,919
73,277
+3.3%
29%
5%
- Antwerp
123
156
+26.8%
4%
- Antwerp
11,686
11,901
+1.8%
- Bruges
246
292
+18.7%
8%
- Bruges
10,422
10,980
+5.4%
4%
- Brussels
255
292
+14.5%
8%
- Brussels
37,290
38,099
+2.2%
15%
- Ghent
124
160
+29.0%
4%
- Ghent
7,248
7,702
+6.3%
3%
- Leuven
44
54
+22.7%
1%
- Leuven
2,734
2,953
+8.0%
1%
- Mechelen
33
35
+6.1%
1%
- Mechelen
1,539
1,642
+6.7%
1%
Flanders
Source: VisitFlanders Hotelbarometer
41%
3,152 3,574+13.4% 100%
Flanders
244,503248,600 +1.7% 100%
Source: Directorate-general Statistics
2013 / total employment in the tourist
sector in Flanders (in number of jobs)
total
223.617
Accommodation
Accommodation regarding 2nd homes (only coast)
Employees
2014 / Holiday participation
Self-employed
17,406
40,832
1,048
Food and beverage services
69,437
Passenger transport
48,827
Travel agencies, travel organizers, reservation desks
and related activities
10,169
Sport and recreational services
10,029
Non-tourism characteristic companies
Total
Individual
holidays
Group
holidays
Organized
holidays
103,131
5,842
7,420
6,708
5,985
Cultural services
Retail of country-specific, characteristic tourism goods
Day
trips
14,629
3,303
TOTAL: 123,101
1,952
168,156
53,461
The holiday participation Centre has an extensive network of over 2,000 partners.
The broad tourism sector (passenger transport included) accounts
for 7.6% of self-employment and 6.3% of salaried employment
Source: RSZ, RSZPPO, RSVZ
In 2014 more than 120,000 Flemish people got support from the
holiday participation centre to make a day trip or go on a holiday.
Source: Holiday Participation Center
Cruises in Flanders
Evolution of number of cruises
in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ostend
Aviation in Flanders
Evolution of cruise passengers
in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ostend
total
500,000
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
Eu
non-eu
In 2014 Brussels Airport welcomed 21.9 million commercial passengers.
This is an increase of no less than 15% compared to 2013.
Source: VISITFLANDERS based on statistics of the port of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ostend
Source: Brusselss Airport
2014 / Flanders Fields, a place to remember
Spending WWI:
belgium
28,5 million
Visitors to WWI sites in the Westhoek Region 2013
2014
trend 2013-2014
Belgium
183,100
421,300
+130.1%
United kingdom
154,700
231,000
+49.3%
Netherlands
47,100
66,700
+41.6%
Australia
7,300
10,500
+43.8%
Germany
2,900
10,900
+275.9%
France
5,000
7,000
+40.0%
Canada
3,200
7,700
+140.6%
12,200
19,400
+59.0%
Other
TOTAL
415,500774,500
+86.4%
The total of WWI visitors in the Westhoek Region is estimated to be 789,500.
(including unique visitors to Westfront, open since oct. 17th 2014)
Accommodation
37%
turnover
76.3 m.
catering
industry
34%
63%
abroad
47,8 million
shopping
other
Source: Visitor research Westtoer 2014
37%
(museums)
15%
14%
Source: Visitor research Westtoer 2014
Definitions
1 Flanders = Flemish + Brussels region
2 Overnight stays and arrivals figures are collected by the
FPS – Directorate-general Statistics, in commercial lodging
accommodations (hotels, bed & breakfasts, camp sites, holiday
parks, youth accommodation, social accommodation for adults
and other holiday accommodation), including commercial
rental accommodations at the coast.
Not included in these figures: non-commercial rental
accommodation, second homes and permanent places on a
camp site.
The number of arrivals corresponds with the number
of residential tourists, taking into account that each
tourist is counted as an ‘arrival’ each time he uses a new
accommodation.
The volume of overnight stays is the total of all overnight
stays associated with the registered arrivals. The represented
arrival and overnight figures cover both leisure and business
trips.
3 The gross occupancy rate is calculated based on the
number of rented rooms in relation to the numbers of
rooms available. The gross occupancy rate does not take
into account closing dates.
4 Self-employed includes the categories Hotels, Recreation,
Cafés, Amusements, Fairs and liberal professions in art.
visitflanders
[email protected] | 02 504 03 00
More research, statistics and definitions: www.toerismevlaanderen.be/figures.
Publisher: Peter De Wilde, Toerisme Vlaanderen, Grasmarkt 61, 1000 Brussels
Wettelijk Depot: D/2016/5635/20/4