Summary of tourism year 2013 in Brussels ______3 Tourist accommodation ______5 Accommodation offer ______5 Tourist arrivals and overnights ______9 Meeting industry ______36 Supply of meeting rooms ______36 Number of meetings of international associations - UIA ______37 Number of meetings of international associations - ICCA ______38 Trade fairs and shows ______39 Cultural tourist services ______40 Cultural offer in museums and tourist attractions ______40 Number of visitors in museums and attractions ______40 Guided tours and Greeters ______41 Special and regular events in Brussels ______42 Transport ______45 Airports ______45 Brussels Airport – Zaventem ______46 Railway ______47 Sustainable tourism ______48 The Eco-Labels ______49 Offer of eco-certified accommodations ______51 The Green City Index ______54 Green spaces ______54 Persons with reduced mobility ______56
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Summary of tourism year 2013 in Brussels
After a stable 2012, tourism in Brussels resumed positive growth in 2013. Night stays were up by 4.7%, reaching nearly 6.3 million for 3.3 million visitors.
The reasons for this increase can be found in the gradual recovery from the financial crisis, the return of consumer and entrepreneur confidence and the improvement in the appeal of Brussels facilities.
The return of consumer confidence in the world as of the start of 2013 was thus beneficial to night stays for recreational purposes rebounded by by +9.1%. On the professional front, business confidence resumed only later in the year, so night stays registered more mitigated growth at a rate of +1.1%, mainly in the second half of the year.
Thanks to the MICE activities, which in spite of everything account for 52.5% of night stays, Brussels has reclaimed the number one place in Europe and number two in the world among congress cities in the ranking of the Union of International Associations.
These figures have enabled the hotel industry, which accounts for 95% of the night stays in Brussels, to boost its occupation rate by 0.4 points. As it is the recreational tourism that has registered a clearer growth, this increase in the occupancy rate is particularly pronounced during weekends. This occupancy rate is all the more remarkable as the hotel offer has been further expanded with an additional 505 hotel rooms becoming available in the course of the year.
Youth hostels have shown a nice increase (+13%) compared with a very negative 2012, essentially due to the variation of the offer (275 fewer beds in 2012 and 285 more in 2013).
As to countries of origin, Belgium is still on top with 19.4% of the night stays. At international level (80.6% of night stays), the top five countries are France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and the United States. It is worth noting that Spain lost its 3rd place to Germany because of the serious financial difficulties that Spaniards face due to a major crisis in their country.
The countries that have progressed the most among the Top 30 are Ireland with 22.9% (probably thanks to the presidency of the European Council by this country during the first half of 2013), Brazil (+12.8%) and Switzerland (+11.4%) followed by China (+10.5%).
Initial observations on 2014 as well as the new hotel projects enable us to remain optimistic about attaining our objective of 10 million night stays by 2020.
Visits to museums and attractions are also up by 10.3% from 2012 – undeniably influenced by the resounding success of exhibitions mounted by different museums. The “Fin-de- Siècle” [End-of-the-Century] Museum also opened in December 2013.
Another field where positive results can be reported: the increasingly greater appeal of eco- labelled accommodations and meeting venues for our visitors. Thus, 4 hotels and 2 meeting venues joined the ranks of premises with the international Clé Verte [Green Key] label, while
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two venues improved their regional standing for the Eco-Dynamic Company Label by earning an additional star.
The outlook for the future is excellent and we cannot help but be pleased with the efforts made by the entire sector to make Brussels more and more attractive for visitors from all over the world and enable it to register reassuring growth that has been confirmed by considerably improved results.
Happy reading.
Frédéric Cornet Manager, Brussels Tourism Observatory
The annual report of the Brussels tourism observatory is drawn up in partnership with Wallonia- Brussels Tourism.
It is a publication resulting from the collection and processing of data provided by, among others, the FPS Economy, COCOF, MKG Hospitality, TourMIS and tourism service providers such as Brussels museums and attractions. It is established according to an efficient methodology recognised by all Brussels tourism stakeholders.
The Tourism Observatory also publishes monthly barometers on the website of VISITBRUSSELS (www.visitbrussels.be - Menu “Observatory”). These barometers show the trends in night stays, hotel activity and visits to museums and attractions.
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Tourist accommodation
Accommodation offer
Offer of tourist accommodations
Type Number of Number of rooms Capacity in beds/ establishments bedplaces
Hotels 197 17 677 36 323 bedplaces
Youth hostels 11 207 1 583 beds
Recognised Bed & Breakfasts 95 179 387 bedplaces
Bed & Breakfasts included in the 80 170 391 bedplaces DGSEI data
Apartment-Hotels (estimate) 100 6 500
Sources: Hotels, Youth Hostels and Bed&Breakfasts included in DGSIE data: DGSEI/Recognized B&B’s: Cocof/ Apartment-Hotels: estimate from the Brussels Observatory for Tourism (2009)
Note: Since June 2012, data on overnight stays in guestrooms have been integrated in the data of the Department of Economic Information and Statistics or DGSEI (known by the French initials “DGSIE”). For the sake of data consistency, the data on overnight stays will henceforth be based on said guestrooms and no longer on the data of Bed&Brussels as in the past.
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Offer of hotels in 2013 and comparison vs. 2012
Type Number of Number of rooms Capacity in bedplaces establishments
197 17 677 36 323 Hotels + 4 + 505 + 1 368 Category: 12 2 176 4 382 5***** = = = 52 8 215 16 743 4**** = + 111 + 222 66 5 383 11 270 3*** + 2 + 183 + 779 39 1 090 2 208 2** + 2 + 144 + 288 15 425 868 1* + 1 + 79 + 158 13 388 852 Not classified - 1 - 12 - 79
Source: DGSEI
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Number of establishments by municipality and by rooms or bed capacity
Hotels Youth B&B’s Reco- Hostels in Municipality gnized Total 5 4 3 2 1 Non- (bed DGSEI B&Bs ***** **** *** ** * clas. capacity) data 100 7 31 29 21 7 5 5 13 13 Brussels City 8 841 1 466 4 041 2 417 587 176 154 688 30 33 27 8 8 3 4 4 6 5 Saint-Gilles - - 2 221 1 038 782 111 154 136 12 11 17 2 5 7 1 1 1 1 8 4 Ixelles 1 556 438 730 332 22 13 21 160 20 20 Saint-Josse- 15 3 7 3 1 1 1 - - - ten-Noode 2 136 1 270 756 56 18 36 240 9 1 3 4 1 18 16 Schaerbeek - - - 645 354 94 163 34 28 21 6 1 2 1 1 1 8 8 Etterbeek - - 701 149 456 47 27 22 13 16 6 1 4 1 3 2 Anderlecht - - - - 445 60 353 32 5 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 Evere - - - - 466 326 120 20 2 2 Woluwe-Saint- 4 2 2 4 5 - - - - - Lambert 222 180 42 9 12 2 1 1 2 1 Ganshoren - - - - - 49 30 19 3 2 Watermael- 2 1 1 7 5 - - - - - Boitsfort 17 11 6 11 9 Molenbeek- 1 1 2 1 1 - - - - - Saint-Jean 150 150 241 1 1 1 1 5 4 Uccle ------101 101 8 9 Woluwe-Saint- 1 1 4 2 ------Pierre 63 63 9 4 1 1 2 2 Forest ------40 40 5 5 1 1 3 2 Jette ------24 24 3 2 1 7 6 Auderghem ------164 12 11 1 2 2 Koekelberg ------90 5 5 Berchem- 1 1 ------Sainte-Agathe 3 3 197 12 52 66 39 15 13 11 95 80 Total 17 677 2 176 8 215 5 383 1 090 425 388 1 583 179 170
Sources: Hotels, Youth Hostels and B&B’s in DGSEI data: DGSEI/Recognized B&Bs: Cocof
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Hotels planned
Name of the project Comments Municipality Size Date Hampton Inn by Hilton Rebranding of Saint-Gilles 82 rooms 2014-15 (4****) Cascade Inn
Penta Hotel Louise (3***) Rebranding of Saint-Gilles 201 rooms 2014-15 Mercure Louise (4****)
*Unknown* Reprise du Méridien Bruxelles (Central 224 rooms 2014-15 Station)
Ibis Budget New Hotel Saint-Gilles (Rue Bara) ? 2015-16
Tangla Hotel (4****) Rénovation du Woluwe-Saint-Lambert 181 rooms (126 2015 Sodehotel (4****) (UCL St Luc) previously)
Nexity - Orion International Nouvel hôtel Etterbeek 110 rooms 2015 (Rue Belliard)
Hotel Astoria (5*****) Renovation de Bruxelles ville 142 rooms (109 2016 l’hôtel Astoria (Rue Royale) previously)
Gésu (5*****) New Hotel Saint-Josse 73 rooms + 2017 conference rooms and parking
Neo Global Project on Heyzel - Laeken Min. 500 rooms the Heyzel Conference Center of 5.000 seats Source: CBRE / Observatory for Tourism in Brussels / Brussels Booking Desk
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Tourist arrivals and overnights
All types of accommodation
Summary of occupation - 2013
Data % of total 2012-2013 variation
Arrivals 3 290 603 +3.8%
Overnights 6 271 037 +4.7%
Average length of stay 1.91 days +0.9%
Leisure overnights 2 979 876 47.5% +9.1%
Professional overnights 3 291 161 52.5% +1.1%
Overnights in hotels 5 934 749 94.6% +4.1%
Overnights in youth hostels 307 762 4.9% +13.0%
Overnights in B&Bs* 28 526 0.5%
Hotels - occupancy rate 71.3% +0.4 pts
Hotels - average price 107.85€ -0.1%
Hotels - RevPAR 76.93€ +0.4%
Overnights from Belgium 1 217 678 19.4% +4.6%
Overnights from foreign 5 033 359 80.6% +4.8% countries
- France 823 270 13.1% +7.1%
- Great Britain 516 422 8.2% +3.5%
- Germany 421 896 6.7% +8.9%
- Spain 415 590 6.6% -0.1%
- United States 362 783 5.8% +1.3%
Source : Arrivals and overnights: DGSEI – Overnights in B&Bs : Bed & Brussels (the data from B&Bs are NOT included in the total as they don’t cover the entire market) - occupancy rates and prices of hotels: MKG Hospitality
* Note: Overnight stays in guestrooms are recorded by the DGSIE as of June 2012 and are henceforth included in the total number of night stays. We do not show their development by comparison with the past because year 2012 was not complete in the data.
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Evolution of overnights in the 3 regions
Source: DGSEI
Index of overnights since 1992 in the 3 regions
Source: DGSEI
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Evolution of overnights, arrivals and length of stay since 1992
Source: DGSEI
Evolution of leisure and professional overnights since 1992
Source: DGSEI
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Total overnights since 2000 in Brussels
Source: DGSEI
Overnights by reason since 2000
Source: DGSEI
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Overnights by municipality (2013) – Brussels and surroundings
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Source: DGSEI
Note: For confidentiality reasons, some municipalities are not reported as they contain too few accommodation establishments.
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Source : DGSEI
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Overnights by country of origin - 2013
Note: the arrows in the second column show the variation in market position from 2012 to 2013.
Source: DGSEI
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Overnights - Comparison and variation, 2012-2013
Source: DGSEI
Total overnights by month in all types of accommodations
Source: DGSEI
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Overnights by month and reason
Source: DGSEI
Overnights by type of accommodation - 2013
Source: DGSEI
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Overnights 2012 and variation 2011-2012 - comparison by market
Note: the blue line represents the average variation for all countries
Source: DGSEI
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Variation in overnights by reason and by country
Belgium
Source: DGSEI
France
Source: DGSEI
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United Kingdom
Source: DGSEI
Germany
Source: DGSEI
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Spain
Source: DGSEI
United States
Source : DGSEI
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Netherlands
Source: DGSEI
Italy
Source : DGSEI
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BRIC Countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)
Source: DGSEI
National comparison
Overnights in other Belgian cities
Source: DGSEI
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European comparison
Overnights in other European cities - total overnights
Note: a * indicates that the type of accommodation included in the total is different from that in Brussels.
Source: ECM
Overnights in other European cities - international overnights
Note: a * indicates that the type of accommodation included in the total is different from that in Brussels. Source: ECM
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Share of international overnights in the main European cities
Note: a * indicates that the type of accommodation included in the total is different from that in Brussels.
Source: ECM
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Hotels
Overnights by month in hotels
Source: DGSEI
Occupancy rates
Source: MKG Hospitality
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Average Prices and RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room)
Source: MKG Hospitality
Occupancy rates and prices by area and hotel categories
Source: MKG Hospitality
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Occupation rates and prices for weekdays / week-end
Source: MKG Hospitality
The days of the week run from Monday to Thursday; the others constitute the weekend. The blue lines (week) and green lines (weekend) represent the situation in 2013. The blue dots and green triangles represent the situation in 2012.
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Occupancy rates and average prices as a function of variation in the offer
Source: MKG Hospitality and DGSEI
This graph shows the annual price averages for hotel rooms in Brussels (orange line on the graph at the top) and the occupancy rates (blue line on the graph at the bottom) compared to the capacity development in number of rooms (blue bars on the graph at the bottom).
Overnights by hotel category
Source: DGSEI
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Leisure/professional overnights by hotel category
Source: DGSEI
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Hotel overnights by country
Source: DGSEI
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Youth hostels
Overnights in youth hostels
Source: DGSEI
Overnights by country in youth hostels
Source: DGSEI
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Bed & Breakfasts
Since June 2012, data on overnight stays in Bed&Breakfast are ciovered and reported by the Department of Economic Information and Statistics (known by the French initials “DGSIE”)
Therefore, comparisons with previous year can’t be done.
2013 Variation
Arrivals 12 396 -
Overnights 28 526 -
Average length of stay 2.3 days
Leisure overnights 17 140 Professional overnights 11 386 Source : DGSIE
Overnights by month in Bed & Breakfasts
Source: DGSEI
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Overnights by country in Bed & Breakfasts
Source: DGSEI
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Meeting industry
Supply of meeting rooms
Meeting rooms in venues (Brussels and surroundings)
Type of rooms More 500 to 250 to 100 to Less Capacity of the largest room than 1000 500 250 than 1000 100 Banquet Theatre Theatres and 6 7 4 2 - 1 500 15 000 concert halls Conference and 4 3 5 4 6 8 000 15 000 exhibition centres Historical buildings 3 8 16 27 15 1 200 2 500 and museums Modern and contemporary 4 6 9 18 10 1 100 1 800 buildings Cultural/sport 1 2 2 23 5 1 000 800 centres
Source: Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
Meeting rooms in hotels (in Brussels and surroundings)
Hotel category Number of hotels Capacity of the largest room with at least one meeting room Banquet Theatre 5-Star Hotels 11 850 1 050 4-Star Hotels 56 1 300 900 3-Star Hotels 42 715 650
Source: Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
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Number of meetings of international associations - UIA
UIA = Union of International Associations
Source: U.I.A.
The UIA includes in its statistics meetings organised or sponsored by the international organisations listed in the Directory of International Organisations and the International Congress Calendar. The selection criteria for these meetings are: Minimum of 300 participants Minimum 40% foreign participants Minimum 5 different nationalities Minimum duration: 3 days
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Number of meetings of international associations - ICCA
ICCA = International Congress and Convention Association
Source: I.C.C.A.
The data published by the ICCA include data on meetings of international associations which fulfil the following criteria: Minimum of 50 participants Organised on a regular basis in at least three different countries Minimum of three different nationalities among participants
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Trade fairs and shows
Attendance at shows and trade fairs in Brussels in 2013 Name Place Dates 2013 Public, Prof. or Visitors mixed
European Motor Show Brussels Expo 11>20/01 Public 385 000 Brussels
21/02- Batibouw Brussels Expo Mixed 296 000 03/03
Salon de l'Alimentation - Brussels Expo 5>20/10 Public 121 000 Food & Feel Good
Agribex Brussels Expo 3>8/12 Mixed 114 500
31/01- Brussels Holidays Show Brussels Expo Public 105 500 04/02
Cocoon Brussels Expo 16>24/11 Public 72 500
Foire du Livre Tour & Taxis 7>11/03 Public 70 000
BREAFA Tour & Taxis 19>27/01 Mixed 40 000
Mobicar Brussels Expo 12>20/10 Public 31 250
Babyboom Brussels Expo 08>10/03 Public 28 000
Art Brussels Brussels Expo 18>21/04 Public 27 500
Creativa / Artisanart Brussels Expo 7>10/03 Public 26 000
Eurantica Brussels Brussels Expo 14>24/03 Public 22 700
European Seafood Brussels Expo 23>25/04 Prof. 21 000
LabelExpo Europe 2013 Brussels Expo 24>27/09 Prof. 21 000
Brussels Furniture Fair Brussels Expo 3>6/11 Public 21 000
16>18/03 14 500 Estetika Brussels Expo Prof. 5>7/10 17 900
Affordable Art Fair Tour & Taxis 21>24/02 Public 12 000
Megavino Brussels Expo 18>21/10 Mixed 13 250
Off Art Fair Tour & Taxis 18>22/04 Public 10 000
MOOD - Meet Only Original Brussels Expo 10>12/09 Public 9 250 Designs
Culinaria Tour & Taxis 29/05-2/06 Public 5 000
20>21/04 5 000 Brussels Design Market Tour & Taxis Public 7>8/09 5 000
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Cultural tourist services
Cultural offer in museums and tourist attractions
In 20130, Brussels had 107 museums, four attractions and one multicultural centre.
Number of visitors in museums and attractions
Source: VISITBRUSSELS
Based on a panel of 35 museums and attractions, attendance reached 2.66 million visitors in 2013, an increase of 10.1% compared to 2012.
Museums and attractions included in this panel: Aquarium of Brussels, Atomium, Autrique House, Belgian Museum of Freemasonry, BELvue Museum, Bozar, Bruxella 1238, Belgian Comic Strip Centre, Cauchie House, Charlier Museum, Children’s Museum, Cinquantenaire Museum (MRAH), City of Brussels Museum (King’s House), Coudenberg, Experience Brussels, Halle Gate Museum, Horta House, Jacques Brel Editions, Jewish Museum of Belgium, La Fonderie, MIM (Musical Instruments Museum), Museum for Old Techniques, Museum of cacao and chocolate, Museum of Costume and Lace, Museum of Letters and Manuscripts, Museum of Natural Sciences, Museums of the Far East, National Bank Museum, Parlamentarium, Planetarium, René Magritte Museum, Schaerbeek Beer Museum, Toy Museum and van Buuren Museum.
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Guided tours and Greeters
In 2011-2012, Charlotte Raymond, a student at IGEAT, conducted an in-depth study on the guided tour sector in Brussels from a supply and demand perspective.
Here are the main conclusions:
- Seventy-two organisations offer guided tours in Brussels. - Approximately 14,000 tours were conducted in 2011. - These tours accommodated more than 290,000 people. - Belgians were the most heavily represented (around 70%), followed by the French, English, German and Dutch.
The Greeters are volunteer inhabitants who love Brussels and take the time to share with visitors their favourite places, good plans and vision of Brussels. The Greeters help visitors discover different facets of Brussels, ranging from the exploration of a neighbourhood to trying a local beer, to green strolls or little known sites. The emphasis is on authenticity and cultural exchange.
At the end of 2013, the Greeters’ network boasted some one hundred members capable of welcoming visitors in 8 languages.
They welcomed 1,560 people on 530 occasions, up by 33% from 2012. 73% were tourists, 17% Erasmus participants/expatriates and 10% businessmen and women. The most important markets were France (31%), Spain (15%), the United States (15%), Belgium (11%) and Germany (10%).
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Special and regular events in Brussels
Special events
Name Place Dates Visitors
Da Vinci Stock Exchange 22/03 - 27/10 100 000
The Art of the Brick Stock Exchange 22/11/13-21/04/14 100 000
Constant Permeke Bozar 11/10/12-20/01/13 89 184
Kandinsky & Russia RMFA (Fine Arts) 8/03 - 30/06 80 000
Museum of Prehistory - Do It Yourself 16/10/12-26/05/13 73 733 Natural Sciences
Terracota Stock Exchange 19/11/12-17/02/13 70 000
Yves Saint Laurent A ING Cultural 30/01 - 12/05 65 000 Visionary Center
RMAH (Art & Henry van de Velde 13/09 - 31/12 60 987 History)
Jordaens and the Antique RMFA (Fine Arts) 12/10/13-27/01/13 56 000
Antoine Watteau Bozar 8/02 - 12/05 42 154
Lieve Blancquaert - Birth ING Cultural 9/10/13-5/01/14 26 073 Day Center
The heritage of Rogier van RMFA (Fine Arts) 12/10 - 21/11 14 000 der Weyden
The Art of Outline - Drawing RMAH (Art & 13/09 - 31/12 8 128 in the Ancient Egypt History)
The Princess Marie-José, RMAH (Art & 1/01 - 3/03 6 700 between Belgium and Italy History)
Culture in Dialogue in the RMAH (Art & ancient Mediterranean: the 1/01 - 10/03 4 380 History) Island of Cyprus
RMAH (Art & Ramayana (Europalia) 21/11-31/12 2 390 History)
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Regular paid events
Name Place Dates Days Visitors Brussels Summer Festival Various in the city 19>28/08 10 120 000
Couleur Café Tour & Taxis 29/06-1/07 3 82 000
Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival Bozar 2>13/04 12 63 474 (BIFFF)
King Baudouin Mémorial Van Damme 6/09 1 47 000 Stadium
Botanique Nights Bota 30/04-26/05 15 37 000
Festival Anima Flagey 17-26/02 10 35 960
Brosella Théâtre de verdure 13>14/07 2 26 000
September - 12 Museum Nights Various museums 23 500 December Thursdays
City Hall of Floraliëntime 15>18/08 4 20 000 Brussels
16 500 visitors Museum Night Fever Various museums 2/03 1 50 000 visits
Kunstenfestivaldesarts Various in the city 3>25/05 23 24 000
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Regular free events
Name Place Dates Days Visitors 29/11/2013 - Winter Wonders Various places 37 1 500 000 5/01/2014
Kermesse of Bruxelles Bld du Midi 13/07 - 18/08 31 1 500 000
quai des Bruxelles les Bains 5/07-11/08 33 400 000 Péniches
Brussels Jazz Marathon Various places 24>26/05 3 250 000
Mont des Arts Comic Strip Festival 6>8/09 3 115 000 & other places
Nuit Blanche Various places 5>6/10 2 100 000
Light Festival Canal area 31/10 - 3/11 4 85 000
Belgian Pride Various places 18/05 1 80 000
Place des Iris Day 3>5/05 3 72 000 Palais
30 091 runners 20 Km of Brussels Around the city 26/05 1 150 000 spectators
Brussels Marathon 11 335 Around the city 6/10 1 and other races runners
The Color Run Tour & Taxis 29/09 1 10 000
Place des Brussels Creative Forum 30/08 - 1/09 3 3 000 Palais
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Transport
Airports
Number of passengers in the airports
Source: Brussels Airport / Brussels South Charleroi Airport
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Brussels Airport – Zaventem
Destination routes from and to Zaventem
Continent All year In season New in Discontinued 2013 in 2013 Europe 80 48 2 5
Africa 38 5 0 0
Middle East 5 0 0 0
Latin America 5 0 0 0
North America 8 0 0 0
Asia-Pacific 4 0 0 0
TOTAL 140 53 2 5 Source: Brussels Airport
Passengers by month
Source: Brussels Airport
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Top 10 destinations from and to Brussels (by number of passengers)
Europe Outside Europe 2012 2013 Var. 2012 2013 Var.
Madrid 561 757 661 101 17.7% New York* 664 152 574 106 -13.6%
London* 548 544 569 541 3.8% Washington 159 764 201 144 25.9%
Geneva 514 159 536 833 4.4% Tel Aviv 184 786 187 433 1.4%
Istanbul* 460 024 516 225 12.2% Abu Dhabi 171 619 170 743 -0.5%
Barcelona 523 191 509 505 -2.6% Casablanca 194 262 170 076 -12.5%
Antalya 450 386 492 316 9.3% Mumbai 151 670 157 029 3.5%
Milan* 459 383 491 385 7.0% Montreal 150 033 145 729 -2.9%
Rome* 486 410 466 692 -4.1% Toronto 145 089 144 394 -0.5%
Frankfurt 450 607 459 555 2.0% Delhi 127 417 136 071 6.8%
Copenhagen 481 591 458 147 -4.9% Chicago 104 317 134 294 28.7% *for all the city’s airports
Source: Brussels Airport
Railway
For confidentiality reasons, the SNCB/NMBS does not wish to provide information about its HST to Brussels (Thalys/Eurostar).
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Sustainable tourism
The winning assets of Brussels on the sustainability front
• Density of high speed train and air links for international transport
• Recognition of establishments distinguished by the quality of their environmental management (eco labels, environmental certification).
• Attention paid to participatory tourism.
• A city accessible to persons with reduced mobility: Brussels for All.
• A green Region: more than 8000 hectares of Green space.
• The constant and progressive greening of the Region initiated in the mid 1990s, with the development of “green continuities” that integrate green areas and biological corridors in the public space.
• Incentive policies for the greening of walls and roofs.
• Remarkable strolling spaces such as the 63-kilometre long “Green Promenade,” Soignes Forest which covers some 5000 hectares, a constantly expanding network of cycling paths, a network of Long Hiking trails, a plethora of parks, etc.
• Pioneering participation in the « Réseau Vert EuRopéen » (REVER) [European Green Network], the “Réseau Véloroute [Cycling Network] and the Voie Verte [Green Way].
• A rich biodiversity to preserve: nearly 800 species of plants and 45 mammals, including 17 bats, 92 nesting birds, etc.
• A population of bees that is doing well and is making honey of excellent quality.
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The Eco-Labels
Four types of eco labels are distinguished in the Observatory’s report:
The Green Key International Label The “green Key” is an international eco-label chosen today by over 2100 tourism infrastructures in 41 countries worldwide.
It is awarded annually to tourism facilities, hotels, bed and breakfasts, youth hotels, camp sites, conference centres and attractions, based on evaluation criteria rating overall environmental management, waste management, water, energy and green open spaces, food, environmental education, mobility…
More information : www.greenkey-brussels.be
Eco-Dynamic Companies Brussels-Capital Region runs a successful “ Eco-Dynamic Company” label that rewards companies environmental dynamism and progress, particularly in key areas such as waste management, the rational use of energy and raw materials and the management of worker mobility.
Since few companies can excel in all environmental areas simultaneously (energy, air, water, waste, mobility, soil, noise, green and un-built areas), the label has three categories represented by stars corresponding to eco-management progress: 3 star label, 2 star label, 1 star label.
More information : www.bruxellesenvironnement.be
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is a management tool for companies and other organizations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance. The scheme has been available for participation by companies since 1995 and was originally restricted to companies in industrial sectors. Since 2001 EMAS has been open to all economic sectors including public and private services.
More information : http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/index_en.htm
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The Green Globe International Label Green Globe is the global travel and tourism industries’ certification program for sustainable tourism. Green Globe members save energy and water resources, reduce operational costs, positively contribute to local communities and their environment and meet the high expectations of green leisure and business travellers.
The Green Globe Standard is a structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners. Businesses can monitor improvements and document achievements leading to certification of their enterprises’ sustainable operation and management.
The Green Globe Standards is a collection of 337 compliance indicators applied to 41 individual sustainability criteria. The applicable indicators vary by type of certification, geographical area as well as local factors.
More information : www.greenglobe.com
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Offer of eco-certified accommodations
Lodging Green Key Aloft Brussels Schuman
Four Points by Sheraton Brussels
Ibis Brussels Centre Midi Station
Martin’s Brussels EU
Le Méridien Brussels
NH Hotel du Grand Sablon
NH Hotel Stéphanie
Park Inn by Radisson Brussels Midi
Plaza Brussels (Le)
Radisson Blu EU
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel
Scandic Grand Place Brussels
Stanhope Brussels
Thon Hotel EU
Auberge des 3 Fontaines
Auberge Jacques Brel
Bruxelles Génération Europe
Sleepwell – Espace du Marais
Source: Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 51.
Ecodynamic Enterprise Label 3-Star Label Martin’s Central Park Silken Berlaymont Brussels
2-Star Label Four Points by Sheraton Brussels Le Méridien Brussels Le Plaza Brussels Radisson Blu EU Radisson Blu Royal Sheraton Brussels Stanhope Brussels
Sleepwell – Espace du Marais (Auberge de jeunesse)
1-Star Label The Dominican Rocco Forte Amigo
Source: Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
Other labels
EMAS Martin’s Central Park
Green Globe Crowne Plaza Brussels - Le Palace
Source : Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014- VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 52.
Meeting venues
Green Key
Autoworld
Diamant Brussels - Conference & Business Centre
Event Lounge
Hôtel de la Poste
The Sheds (Tour & Taxis)
The « Theatre » at Hotel Le Plaza
Source : Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
Ecodynamic Enterprise Label
Label 3 étoiles National Bank of Belgium
Label 2 étoiles Ancienne Belgique BOZAR La Monnaie / De Munt – Opera House Museum of Natural Sciences Tram Museum The « Theatre » - Hotel Le Plaza
Label 1 étoile ING Belgium The Sheds (Tour & Taxis)
Source : Let’s Meet in Brussels 2014 - VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 53.
The Green City Index
The Green City Index is an index that assesses the environmental policies of 30 European cities from public statistics covering 30 indicators relating to eight major themes: environmental governance, water management, land and waste management, energy consumption, quality of buildings, transport, CO2 emissions and air quality. The figures are interpreted from the specific context of each city and combined into a single index. Sponsored by Siemens, the study is conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit of The Economist.
Out of 30 European capitals, Brussels ranks 9th, ahead of Paris and London, in the European Green City Index* or ranking of sustainable cities.
In particular, Brussels comes joint top with Copenhagen when it comes to public environmental policy.
More information : http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/greencityindex.htm
Green spaces
The Brussels-Capital Region has more than 8,500 ha of green spaces, or more than half its total area (16,138 ha) distributed as follows:
Others 12
Agricultural Private Lands Gardens 7 32
Wasteland 7
Private domains 10
Parks and Woods and Green Spaces Forests 12 20 Source: IBSA
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 54.
Reserves With a view to protecting biodiversity in Brussels, 14 nature reserves (130 ha) and 2 forest reserves (112 ha) have been designated within the Brussels-Capital Region. Within the Brussels Region are three major types of nature reserves:
Nature reserves The Moeraske Ganshoren marshes Jette marshes Poelbos Laerbeek wood Zavelenberg The reed beds of Parc des Sources Kinsendael-Kriekenput Rouge-Cloître nature reserve Vallon des Enfants Noyés Vallon du Vuylbeek Vallon des Trois-Fontaines Pinnebeek pond Vogelzangbeek
Archaeological reserves The archaeological reserve of the Tumuli The archaeological reserve of ‘Boitsfort-Etang’
Forest reserves The forest reserve of Rouge-Cloître The forest reserve of Gripensdelle
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 55.
Persons with reduced mobility
Transport - Metro 1/3 of the metro stations are equipped with lifts Tactile paving slabs along the quays and floor marking systems along with signboards in Braille in all the metro stations. There are visual and spoken announcements in all the metro trains. Transport - Bus All bus lines operate with low-floor buses. In January 2012, bus line 71 was the only line considered accessible. Transport - Tram The new T3000 and T4000 type tramways are all equipped with a fitted-out area inside. Voice synthesis is also operational on these vehicles.
Transport - Taxis One hundred Brussels PRM taxis are equipped to carry wheelchairs.
Transport - Trains For travel in Belgium, SNCB Mobility provides persons with reduced mobility a free assistance service especially designed to simplify train travel from the departure station to the arrival station. This service is available from the first to the last train, 7 days a week, in 131 stations in Belgium. 114 stations are accessible to persons with reduced mobility, with or without a wheelchair. 17 stations collaborate with taxi companies for transport of persons in a wheelchair from a station without assistance to a station offering assistance.
Museums 34 museums are accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
Hotel Industry 75 hotels and youth hostels are accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
Source: Guide Brussels for All – AMT Concept
Observatory for Tourism in Brussels Page 56.