Brussels’ hotel sector fears "enormous consequences" as a result of the measures taken in Belgium to fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
"This crisis is two to three times worse than after the attacks," Brussels Hotel Association (BHA) President Yves Fonck said on Friday. We are calling for exceptional measures to support the sector.
Two weeks ago, the capital's hotels already announced losses of more than 10 million euro, and the situation has gotten worse since.
"I've never experienced this. We have been going through an unprecedented crisis these last two weeks. Our attendance figures cannot even be compared with those following the terrorist attacks: they are two to three times worse," Fonck distressed.
Since the arrival of Covid-19, business tourism is non-existent due to the many flight cancellations. Leisure tourism is following the same trend. "We were still around 50% in the beginning of March, but this week, the occupancy rate is less than 20%. It is usually at 90 to 95% at this time of the year."
The Brussels Times
