The end of this week will see the start of the big exodus of people in Belgium to their favourite holiday destination. Remarkably, holidaymakers are opting to travel by train during their holidays.
Belgium residents who opt to organise their holiday through a travel agency are increasingly looking into using more sustainable option of train travel, according to figures from the Flemish Travel Agency Association (VVR), which represents over 600 travel companies in Flanders and Brussels. These businesses sold twice as many trips with trains for July and August compared to the same period last year (+131%).
"We have seen for several years that holidaymakers are more concerned with sustainability and also with travel experiences, said VVR delegate director Koen van den Bosch. "The journey to the holiday destination seems to become at least as important as the final destination."
He added that the train offers holiday-makers the convenience of dividing a longer journey into stages and making stops along the way for a cultural excursion or a dinner in a special restaurant without having to stay in this location for days.
Increased demand, rising supply
In the first six months of this year, the number of sold train journeys was one-fourth (25%) higher than the same period in 2023 and up by 44% since 2022. Overall, travel agents have already booked 7% more turnover this year than in 2023, a year in which they also recorded record figures.
Alongside the desire to travel greener and to enjoy their travels, increasing supply, especially of night and high-speed trains, and additional connections between major cities have also contributed to this rise in popularity. The rising demand has further spurred this expanding capacity.
Meanwhile, the higher cost of air travel did not play much of a role, as train journeys also still cost a hefty sum.
Although rail is gaining popularity this summer, car holidays, particularly popular among Belgians, are far from being written off. Even as more and more people in the country are switching to an electric or hybrid car, the number of people opting for this mode of transport has remained stable (+1%).
Related News
- Belgians splashing out more than ever for holiday home abroad
- Barcelona wants to end holiday rentals by 2029
"In popular holiday and transit countries such as France and Germany these days, there is a sufficient supply of (fast) charging stations along motorways to avoid charging stress," van den Bosch said. Cruises, meanwhile, are clearly more popular than last summer. The number of luxury holidays at sea sold by travel agents rose by one-fifth compared to 2023.
Among trips organised by these companies, sunny destinations remain the most popular destination, with Spain in first place (+7% compared to last summer), followed by Turkey (though with a 10% decrease, it is less popular than in 2023), Greece (+9%), France (+6 %) and Italy (remained the same). The biggest rise is Portugal (+10%), which currently occupies seventh place.
Due to the bad weather in recent weeks and months, trips in Belgium became significantly less popular (-17%).
