Tourism from Belgium nearly doubled in past decade

Last year, 11 million foreigners stayed in overnight accommodations in the Netherlands, an 8 percent  increase relative to 2000. The largest group (more than a quarter) of tourists come from Germany, but the number of Belgian tourists grew most rapidly: from 0.7 million in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2010.

Number of guests

Belgians stay shorter than average tourist

Tourism from Belgium has nearly doubled to 1.3 million since 2000. They spent 3.2 million nights in Dutch accommodations last year, an increase by 70 percent relative to 2000, so the number of overnight stays of Belgian tourists in the Netherlands has not risen as fast as the number of tourists. Belgian tourists on average spent 2.8 nights in Dutch accommodations in 2000 versus 2.5 nights in 2010.

Belgian guests

North Sea resorts most popular among tourists from Belgium

Most Belgian tourists do not travel far when they go on holiday in the Netherlands: 85 percent stay in the south or west of the Netherlands. The North Sea resorts are favourite holiday destinations, attracting 245 thousand guests from Belgium and the highest amount of overnight stays ((0.7 million). With 217 thousand guests, the four major Dutch cities are also popular destinations for Belgian tourists. More than 400 thousand Belgian tourists travel to the Dutch provinces of Limburg and North Brabant.

Just like in previous years, more than 60 percent of Belgians stay in hotels, but most overnight stays ((60 percent) are spent in so-called recreational accommodations, e.g. camping sites, holiday cottage parks or group accommodations.

Belgian tourists by tourist destination, 2010

Jamilja van der Meulen