The pleasant Easter weekend weather has resulted in a surge of last-minute bookings, with a total of 450,000 overnight stays on the coast. On Saturday to Sunday night, the hotel occupancy rate reached 85%. However, despite this increase, the number of reservations over the entire weekend was 10% lower than that of last year’s Easter weekend. Sabien Lahaye-Battheu, president of Westtoer, explains that the previous year had exceptionally sunny weather with temperatures over 17°.
In French-speaking Belgium, the spring holidays fall later than the Flemish Easter holidays, taking place from April 29 to May 14, due to the new holiday schedule. The staggered holiday schedule might contribute to the slightly lower occupancy figures. Nevertheless, this new schedule allows for more even distribution of holidays across the coast, leading to better quality. However, this might prove to be a challenge, as seaside activities will need to be better spread out and the hotel and catering sector will require more staff recruitment in May, according to Ms. Lahaye-Battheu.
Spring-like Easter weekend weather has led to an increase in last-minute bookings. In total, the number of overnight stays on the coast is 450,000. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the hotel occupancy rate thus reached 85%. Over the weekend as a whole, the number of reservations was nevertheless 10% lower than that of the Easter weekend of last year. “The 2022 Easter weekend was really exceptional, with lots of sunshine and temperatures exceeding 17°”, explains Sabien Lahaye-Battheu, president of Westtoer.
Due to the new holiday regime in French-speaking Belgium, the spring holidays are this time later than the Flemish Easter holidays and will take place from April 29 to May 14. “The fact that the holidays are staggered certainly plays a part in these slightly lower occupancy figures. The new holiday schedule helps to spread the holidays more evenly across the coast, which is a good thing because it is therefore possible to offer more quality. But this is also a challenge. The seaside activities must be more spread out and the hotel and catering sector must also recruit staff in May”, adds Ms. Lahaye-Battheu.
Overall, the spring-like weather over the Easter weekend has led to an increase in last-minute bookings on the Belgian coast, with a total of 450,000 overnight stays. While the number of reservations was lower than last year’s Easter weekend, the staggered holiday schedule for French-speaking and Flemish regions is seen as a positive move in spreading out the holidays more evenly across the coast. As we move forward into the spring season, the hotel and catering sector will face the new challenge of catering to an extended holiday schedule, but with the right planning and recruitment efforts, the coast can continue to offer quality experiences for locals and tourists alike.
