Belgium recorded a total of three million tourists in 2020, ranking 57th in the world in absolute terms.
That smaller countries regularly perform lower in a comparison of the absolute number of guests, is obvious. By putting the tourist numbers in relation to the population of Belgium, the result is much more comparable picture: With 0.22 tourists per resident, Belgium ranked 87th in the world. In Western Europe, it ranked 8th.
In 2020, Belgium generated around 7.45 billion US dollars in the tourism sector alone. This corresponds to 1.3 percent of its the gross domestic product and approximately 9 percent of all international tourism receipts in Western Europe.
The most popular city in Belgium for international travelers is Brussels. In 2019, it reached the 58th place of the world's most popular cities with 4.28 million tourists.
On average, each of the tourists arriving in 2020 spent about 2,437 US dollars. Conversely, the inhabitants of Belgium spend only around 2,013 dollars a year when they themselves spend vacations abroad.
Development of the tourism sector in Belgium from 1995 to 2020
The following chart shows the number of tourist arrivals registered in Belgium each year. Anyone who spends at least one night in the country but does not live there for more than 12 months is considered a tourist. Insofar as the survey included the purpose of the trip, business trips and other non-tourism travel purposes have already been excluded. The number of people passing through within the same day, and e.g., crew members of ships or flights are also not considered tourists in most countries. If the same person travels in and out more than once within the same year, each visit counts again.
Data in the chart are given in millions of tourists. The red line represents the average of all 9 countries in Western Europe.
Revenues from tourism
In 1995, tourism revenues amounted to 4.55 billion USD, or about 1.6 percent of the gross national product. This corresponded to about 5.56 million tourists at that time and roughly 818 USD per person. Within 25 years, the country's dependence on tourism has increased noticeably. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales were $10.58 billion billion, 2.0 percent of gross national product. Thus, each visitor spent an average of $1,133 on their vacation in Belgium.
In 2020, tourist receipts plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the $10.58 billion billion (2019), only $7.45 billion billion remained. This is a 30 percent decrease in Belgium.
All data for Belgium in detail
Year
Number of tourists
Receipts
% of GNP
Receipts per tourist
2020
2.58 m
7.45 bn $
1.4 %
2,882 $
2019
9.34 m
10.58 bn $
2.0 %
1,133 $
2018
9.12 m
10.32 bn $
1.9 %
1,132 $
2017
8.39 m
9.64 bn $
1.9 %
1,149 $
2016
7.48 m
8.78 bn $
1.8 %
1,174 $
2015
8.36 m
8.98 bn $
1.9 %
1,074 $
2014
7.89 m
15.25 bn $
2.8 %
1,933 $
2013
7.68 m
14.53 bn $
2.8 %
1,891 $
2012
7.56 m
13.70 bn $
2.8 %
1,813 $
2011
7.49 m
14.11 bn $
2.7 %
1,883 $
2010
7.19 m
12.68 bn $
2.6 %
1,765 $
2009
6.82 m
12.72 bn $
2.6 %
1,866 $
2008
7.17 m
12.02 bn $
2.3 %
1,677 $
2007
7.05 m
12.37 bn $
2.6 %
1,756 $
2006
7.00 m
11.63 bn $
2.8 %
1,662 $
2005
6.75 m
10.88 bn $
2.8 %
1,613 $
2004
6.71 m
10.09 bn $
2.7 %
1,504 $
2003
6.69 m
8.85 bn $
2.8 %
1,323 $
2002
6.72 m
7.60 bn $
2.9 %
1,131 $
2001
6.45 m
8.30 bn $
3.5 %
1,287 $
2000
6.46 m
6.59 bn $
2.8 %
1,021 $
1999
6.37 m
6.47 bn $
2.5 %
1,016 $
1998
6.18 m
4.62 bn $
1.8 %
748 $
1997
6.04 m
4.53 bn $
1.8 %
750 $
1996
5.83 m
4.84 bn $
1.7 %
831 $
1995
5.56 m
4.55 bn $
1.6 %
818 $
Our data on tourist numbers, revenues and expenditures are based on information from the World Tourism Organization. However, to ensure international comparability, the data for some years or countries were manually researched and corrected if they obviously included visitors without overnight stays. In these cases, the data were taken from the official communications of the respective national tourism authorities.
The World Tourism Organization additionally points out that in some countries, the number of tourists is only counted at airports, while in others they are also counted at border crossings or even hotels. A comprehensive and reliable indication is therefore hardly possible in any country.
On average, each of the tourists arriving in 2020 spent about 2,437 US dollars. Conversely, the inhabitants of Belgium spend only around 2,013 dollars a year when they themselves spend vacations abroad.
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