Belgians spend more on holidays

23 August 2005

BRUSSELS — Belgians spent 6 percent more on holidays last year compared with 2002, the West Flemish Economic Study Bureau (WES) said.

The WES said in its two-yearly study the increase in travel spending was due to the fact Belgians were travelling more.

In the period April 2004 to March 2005, Belgian holidaymakers spent EUR 6.4 billion on short or long holidays in Belgium or abroad.

That was EUR 380 million or 6 percent more than in 2002, newspaper ‘Het Gazet van Antwerpen’ reported on Monday.

“The increase is due to a rise in the number of Belgian holidaymakers.” WES director Rik de Keyser said.

In the past two years, the number of Belgians who have spend at least one night on holiday increased from 6.9 million to 7.1 million.

It means 69 percent of the population took a short or long holiday. In 1998 and 2000, 72 percent of Belgians went on holiday.

In 2004, some 9.9 million long holidays were booked, a rise of 80,000 compared with 2002. The number of short holidays rose by almost 200,000 to 4.9 million.

The WES study is based on two half-yearly surveys of 6,000 Belgians and gives insight into Belgian holiday trends since 1982.

Subject: Belgian news