Tourism in Belgium
Belgium recorded a total of 9 m tourists in 2019, ranking 45th 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 0.81 tourists per resident, Belgium ranked 77th in the world. In Western Europe, it ranked 8th.
Belgium generated around 10.56 bn US Dollar in the tourism sector alone. This corresponds to 2.0 percent of its the gross domestic product and approximately 5 percent of all international tourism receipts in Western Europe.
A global comparison can be found here › International tourism
Back to overview: Belgium
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 m tourists.
On average, each of the tourists arriving in 2019 spent about 990 US Dollars. Conversely, the inhabitants of Belgium spend as much as 1,293 dollars a year when they themselves spend vacations abroad.Development of the tourism sector in Belgium from 1995 to 2019
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 as 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 in tourism
In 1995, tourism revenues amounted to 4.55 bn USD, or about 1.6 percent of the gross national product. This corresponded to about 5.56 m tourists at that time and roughly 818 USD per person. Within 24 years, the country's dependence on tourism has increased noticeably. In the last year of the survey, the revenue now amounts to 10.56 bn USD, accounting for 2.0 percent of the gross national product. Each visitor now spends an average of 1,130 USD for his holiday in Belgium.
All data for Belgium in detail
| Year | Number | Receipts | % of GNP | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9.34 m | 10.56 bn $ | 2.0 % | 1,130 $ |
| 2018 | 9.12 m | 10.35 bn $ | 1.9 % | 1,135 $ |
| 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 $ | 2.9 % | 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 | 11.42 bn $ | 2.4 % | 1,676 $ |
| 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 $ |
All data correspond to the information of the World Tourism Organization.
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