Tourist visits to the Belgian capital were up 15% in 2023, as there were some 7.17 million overnight stays by tourists in Brussels last year, but tourism activity still hasn't recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Figures from Belgian statistics office Statbel show that across the country, just under 44.7 million overnight stays were booked in Belgium last year, up 4% on 2022 figures, and 5% higher than pre-pandemic tourist numbers in 2019.
While the Brussels-Capital Region has seen tourist overnight stays increase by 15% since 2022, visitor numbers have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and are 4% below the number of overnight stays recorded in 2019. This is in contrast to Wallonia and Flanders where figures have climbed beyond 2019 levels.
The vast majority of overnight stays in Brussels last year were in hotels (6.87 million), followed by a smaller number of stays in hostels (215,232), bed and breakfasts (69,130), and holiday lodges, apartments and furnished holiday accommodation (15,764).
The number of tourists that visited Brussels last year was just under 3.58 million, a 13% increase on 2022 figures, but still 9% below visitor numbers in 2019.
In terms of country of origin, the largest proportion of tourists visiting Brussels last year came from within Belgium (1,657,594). Outside of Belgium, the largest number of visitors came from France (812,992), followed by Germany (514,008) and the UK (511,122).
Record number of tourist stays across rest of Belgium
Across the rest of the country, the Walloon Region saw overnight tourist stays increase by 3% last year when compared to 2022, and by 9% compared to 2019.
Meanwhile the Flemish Region saw overnight stays increase by 2% compared to 2022, and by 6% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Figures for Flanders and Wallonia, as well as the overall national number for Belgium, show a record number of overnight stays in 2023, going back as far as 2015 when comparable figures started being recorded.
The number of overnight stays increased in almost every province in 2023 compared to 2022. Only West Flanders and Luxembourg recorded a drop in the number of overnight stays, but 2022 was a record year for tourism in these provinces. Compared to 2019, there was an increase in all provinces, with the exception of Flemish Brabant which saw a marginal decline.
Looking at different types of tourist accommodation in Belgium, hotels remained the most popular category of accommodation in 2023 with 46% of overnight stays, followed by holiday lodges, apartments and furnished holiday accommodation with 17%.
In 2023, there were more overnight stays from foreign tourists than in 2019 (up 2%), while the number of overnight stays by domestic tourists increased compared to 2019 (up 8%). Domestic tourists represented more than half (52%) of all overnight stays in Belgium last year.
