Belgium

From 22 May we will be working to update all of the data and documents on this page following the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revision of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) data for 2009-2018 and the released detailed 2019 data. Please be patient as we update these pages or contact the VisitBritain research team if you have any questions- VB/VEResearch@visitbritain.org. Thank you.

Visitor characteristics

There are more than twice as many male than female business visitors
Almost four-in-five Belgian holiday visitors (excluding British expats) are making a repeat visit to Britain (within ten years)
Far more visitors come from Brussels than any other part of Belgium
97% of departing visitors from Belgium (excluding British expats) are ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend a visit to Britain

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Sightseeing of Famous Buildings/ Monuments

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	18.6
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	18
Number of outbound visits (m)	26.9
Most visited destination	France

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2019
Population (m)	11.5
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	46,492
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	1.6
Annual average GDP growth over the past year (%)	1.4

Belgium Market Snapshot (PDF, 468KB)

Belgium Market Profile (PDF, 2.71MB)

Find out where visitors from Belgium to the UK reside in their own country(Excel, 176KB, Published 2015)

Read about the preferences of Europeans towards tourism (PDF, 1.65MB, Published March 2015)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.123 EUR

As of 22 January 2021

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from Belgium

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Total nights spent

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Average length of stay (Nights)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What Belgians think about Britain

Museums and films are the cultural products that Belgians most closely associate with Britain
44% say a potential trip to Britain would be 'exciting'
46% associate the statement 'has a rich and interesting history' with Britain but a greater number associate it with both France and Italy
42% reckon that Britain 'is good for high street shopping'
One-in-three associate Britain with the statement 'is rich in natural scenic beauty' but competitor destinations are much more strongly associated with the attribute

Caring for visitors

3 or 4 star hotels tend to be the favoured form of holiday accommodation, with an eagerness for value for money and a warm personal welcome
Belgians like to take time over their meals and take pride in their cuisine
Belgians are comfortable paying for goods and services with a credit card when on holiday

The leisure & travel trade

Group operators, especially those providing school and youth travel, are an important sector of the travel trade selling Britain
Most Belgians book a holiday to Britain directly on the internet
It is wise to be on time for meetings

Access to Britain from Belgium


Measure	2019
Weekly aircraft departures	156
Weekly seat capacity	21,548
Airports with direct routes in Belgium	4
Airports with direct routes in Britain	12
Eurostar trains per day from Brussels	10
Weekly ferry crossings	7

The majority of Belgians reach Britain by means of the Channel Tunnel
The bulk of plane seat capacity serves the Brussels to Heathrow corridor
There were 156 weekly departures with an average seating capacity of 21,548 in 2019
Those who fly back to Belgium from Britain pay £13 in Air Passenger Duty if flying economy

Markets

Markets

Belgium

Belgium