2023-06-24 07:37:00
The presence of French speakers on the Belgian Coast is historic. And undeniable. On average, they represent one in four holidaymakers. That is, according to the latest statistics from Westtoer (2022), 3.9 million one-day tourists and some 600,000 staying for several days (weekends or rental holidays, lodges, campsites, hotels, etc.).
“In 2022, of the seventeen million tourists who traveled for a day to the Coast, 23% came from French-speaking Belgium, details Westtoer. Mainly from Brussels, Hainaut and the province of Liège.” With regard to the longest stays, the share of French-speakers rises to 25%. For an inverted podium since, this time, it is the province of Liège which is in the lead, followed by Hainaut and Brussels. The Namurois and Luxembourg close the march of the two rankings.
Belgium, a tourist destination finally recognized… thanks to the Covid?
If “French-speaking Belgium is an important, mature and stable market for the Coast”, it is much more so in its western part (La Panne, Coxyde) and in Ostend. It is only when we analyze their presence as real estate owners (19% of the approximately 101,302 second residences listed in 2021) that we see Walloon Brabant emerging on the side of buyers, behind the inhabitants of Brussels and the Hénuiers, and … Knokke-Heist, between Coxyde and La Panne, as the most popular locations.
26%: Belgians travel to Belgium this summer
According to the Europ Assistance Holiday Barometer published at the end of May, seven out of ten Belgians say they will go on holiday this summer (between June and September). For those who go, the most popular destination remains France (29%) . Belgium remains in second place (26%), ahead of Spain (18%). It was in 2021 that our country overtook Spain (with 32%).
62%: Heading for the Coast
About six out of ten Belgians will go on vacation this summer, this time came out of a survey by the club dedicated to VAB mobility carried out among more than 2,000 Belgians and published on Wednesday. Almost one in three respondents (27%) will spend their holidays in Belgium. In this case, the Coast is the preferred destination for 62% of respondents and approximately one in three opts for the Ardennes.
+ 20%: Dutch speakers like Walloon attractions and museums
The attendance diagnosis of the Walloon Tourism Observatory indicates for 2022 a return to the 2019 level of attendance of tourist attractions and museums in Wallonia. And an increase of 51% compared to 2021, a year impacted by the health crisis and the July floods. The number of Dutch-speaking visitors increased by 20% in 2022 compared to 2019.
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“The Zwin wants to bet more on French-speaking Belgian tourists.”
The Côte manager at Westtoer notes that Zwin operators communicate more and more in French to the French-speaking media. The evolution is similar, according to her, in Ostend and more generally on the whole of the Eastern part of the Coast.
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