Tourism in Key figures edition 2016 Tourism in Key figures edition 2016

“Tourism in Key figures” provides a convenient overview of the theme in 17 different countries. As an appetizer you’ll find the major trends in international tourism and the tourism flows most important results here. to, from, and in . In 2015 Flanders counted 30.8 mil- lion overnight stays and 12.6 million arrivals. This publication VISITFLANDERS conducts new research and publishes updated provides information on the place of stay, the timing of the arrival and overnight figures on a regular basis. visit and the reason why these tourists chose Flanders as their Consult www.toerismevlaanderen.be/figures to keep informed destination. about the new tourism figures and research.

In the coming years, VISITFLANDERS will enthusiastically dedi- cate itself to a ‘ Masters’ theme. This year we organised PETER DE WILDE a market research to estimate the market potential for this CEO VISITFLANDERS Evolution of international tourist arrivals 1980-2015 (in millions)

The graph shows that tourism remains a growing sector, with intermittent periods of slower growth:

IN 2012 THE MILESTONE OF 1 BILLION TOURIST ARRIVALS GROWTH WAS EXCEEDED 1980 - 2015

2003: SARS VIRUS IN ASIA RESULTED IN A DECREASE

IN 2015, A NEW RECORD 2001: SEPTEMBER 11 OF 1.2 BILLION ARRIVALS ATTACKS WAS REACHED.

2009: EFFECTS OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

IN 2011 AND 2012 A NOTICEABLE RECOVERY

Source: UNWTO Evolution of international tourist arrivals 1950-2015 by continent (in millions)

609

277

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 191 54 AMERICA

MIDDLE-EAST

AFRICA

53

Source: UNWTO 2015 / Number of arrivals and 2005 - 2015 / Evolution overnight stays overnight stays in Flanders and arrivals in Flanders

OVERNIGHT STAYS ARRIVALS overnight stays % arrivals % average lenght of stay (nights) Flemish 24,379,810 79% 9,265,307 73% 2.6 region 6,443,213 21% 3,353,899 27% 1.9 +34% Flanders 30,823,023 100% 12,619,206 100% 2.4 38,380,415 15,846,926 2.4

+40% Overnight stays Arrivals

27% 39% 33% 17% 51% 32%

Coast Art cities Flemish countryside Coast Art cities Flemish countryside 8.5 million 12.1 million 10.2 million 2.1 million 6.5 million 4 million

Source: Directorate-general Statistics Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2015 / Division of overnight stays in the art cities

1.9 2 6.4 MLN MLN MLN

ANTWERP BRUSSELS 16% 16% 53%

1 0.5 0.2 MLN MLN MLN

GHENT MECHELEN 9% 4% 2%

TOTAL 12 million AVERAGE LENGHT OF STAY 1.9 nights

Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2015 / Division of overnight stays in the 2015 / Seasonality of overnight stays Flemish countryside in Flanders

1% RANDSTEDELIJK GEBIED -MECHELEN

19% 30%

COAST 1.9 MLN 3.1 MLN 2% 3%

3% ANTWERPSE MEETJESLAND WAASLAND KEMPEN ART CITIES

4% 8% BRUGSE 13% LIMBURGSE OMMELAND SCHELDELAND KEMPEN FLEMISH COUNTRYSIDE 0.8 MLN 3% 2% MAASLAND 5% 1.4 MLN 2% COAST 2% VLAAMSE LEIESTREEK ARDENNEN GROENE GORDEL HASPENGOUW 2%

VOEREN

2% EN OMGEVING The distribution of overnight stays throughout the year varies depen- Flemish countryside 31% of overnight stays occur during the summer ding on the destination. Tourism at the coast and in the Flemish months. In the art cities the two summer months count for 20% of the TOTAL FLEMISH COUNTRYSIDE: 10.2 million TOTAL COAST: 8.5 million countryside is very seasonal, whereas the occupancy in the art cities year total. There is clearly less commercial tourism in the winter at the AVERAGE LENGHT OF STAY: 2.5 nights AVERAGE LENGHT OF STAY: 4.1 nights is more evenly distributed throughout the year. At the coast 36% of coast, while the Flemish countryside still receives a reasonable amount overnight stays takes place in the months July and August and in the of overnight stays.

Source: Directorate-general Statistics Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2015 / Top 10 of the foreign arrivals by country of origin*

20% 14% 13% 4% 2%

NETHERLANDS ITALY CHINA 22% 1,436,269 986,504 939,840 252,991 149,195

OTHER 1,529,644 12% 5% 5% 2% 1%

GERMANY USA SPAIN ZWITSERLAND JAPAN 814,104 367,433 334,319 105,220 93,031

* 56% of all arrivals in Flanders are made by foreign tourists. Belgian tourists account for 44% of all arrivals.

Source: Directorate-general Statistics Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2015 / Overnight stays in Flanders

OVERNIGHT STAYS BY TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION OVERNIGHT STAYS BY MOTIVE

75% 16% 9% 52% 3% 6%

HOTELS BED & BREAKFASTS CAMP SITES

13% 14% 11% 1% LEISURE AND CONFERENCE, CONGRESS OTHER BUSINESS HOLIDAY AND SEMINAR PURPOSES 23,234,719 4,883,840 2,704,464

HOLIDAY PARCS & HOLIDAY YOUTH OTHER HOLIDAY HOLIDAY CENTRES COTTAGES ACCOMMODATION ACCOMMODATION

Source: Directorate-general Statistics Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2015 / Gross occupancy rate in hotels Evolution tourist accommodation supply in Flanders

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS, BY TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY IN PERSONS, BY TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION 2015 SHARE 2015 2015 SHARE 2015 Hotels 1,068 29% Hotels 104,435 43% Bed & Breakfasts 1,690 46% Bed & Breakfasts 11,670 5% Camp sites 174 5% Camp sites 51,848 21% Holiday parks and holiday centres 456 12% Holiday parks and holiday centres 45,952 19% Youth accommodation 48 1% Youth accommodation 27,518 11% Other holiday accommodation 214 6% Other holiday accommodation 3,029 1% Flanders 3,650 100% Flanders 244,452 100%

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS, CAPACITY IN PERSONS, BY DESTINATION BY DESTINATION Trend Aandeel Trend Share 2014 2015 2014-2015 2015 2014 2015 2014-2015 2015 Coast 505 497 -1.6% 17% Coast 55,899 52,123 -6.8% 21% Flemish countryside 2,080 2.123 +2.1% 58% Flemish countryside 119,424 118,754 -0.6% 49% Art cities 989 1.030 +4.1% 28% Art cities 73,277 73,575 +0.4% 30% RESPONS RATE IN ROOMS - Antwerp 156 174 +11.5% 4% - Antwerp 11,901 12,427 +4.4% 5% - Bruges 292 311 +6.5% 8% - Bruges 10,980 10,893 -0.8% 4%

- Brussels 292 274 -6.2% 8% - Brussels 38,099 38,137 +0.1% 16% 2008: 62% 2008: 65% 2008: 23% - 160 183 +14.4% 4% - Ghent 7,702 7,247 -5.9% 3% FLEMISH - Leuven 54 54 +0.0% 2% - Leuven 2,953 3,276 +10.9% 1% ART 2015: 81% COAST 2015: 73% COUNTRYSIDE 2015: 71% CITIES - Mechelen 35 34 -2.9% 1% - Mechelen 1,642 1,595 -2.9% 1% Flanders 3,574 3,650 +2.1% 100% Flanders 248,600 244,452 -1.7% 100% (Response rate based on all participating hotels, whether or not they provided data for every month.)

Source: VisitFlanders Hotelbarometer Source: Directorate-general Statistics 2014 / total employment in the tourist 2015 / Holiday participation sector in Flanders (in number of jobs)

Employees Self-employed Day Individual Group Organized TOTAL Accommodation 17,665 Accommodation regarding 2nd homes (only coast) 1,054 41,421 trips holidays holidays holidays 240,024 Food and beverage services 70,538 Passenger transport 53,773 128,382 6,935 6,427 6,944 Travel agencies, travel organizers, reservation desks and related activities 6,475 Cultural services 14,151 15,669 Sport and recreational services 13,964 TOTAL: 148,688 Retail of country-specific, characteristic tourism goods 3,416 Non-tourism characteristic companies 1,898 Total 182,934 57,090

The holiday participation Centre has an extensive network of over 2,000 partners. In 2015 more than 150,000 Flemish people got support from the The broad tourism sector (passenger transport included) accounts for 6.8% of total employment, 7.9% of self-employment and 6.5% of salaried employment. holiday participation centre to make a day trip or go on a holiday.

Source: RSZ, RSZPPO, RSVZ Source: Holiday Participation Center 2015 / Cruises in Flanders 2015 / Aviation in Flanders

Evolution of number of cruises Evolution of cruise passengers Trend in the number of passengers processed by Brussels Airport in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ostend in Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ostend

TOTAL

EU

NON-EU

In 2015, Brussels Airport processed 23.4 million commercial passengers. This is an increase with 7% compared to 2014. 15.5 million of these had a destination within the EU or arrived in Brussels. 3 million In 2015, 153 cruise ships berthed in the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ostend, had a destination within the rest of Europe and another 4.9 million had a destination overseas. carrying a total of approximately half a million passengers.

Source: VISITFLANDERS based on statistics of the port of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ostend Source: Brussels Airport (BruTrends2015) Market potential of the Flemish Masters

1 2 3 4

markets with a high interest markets with an average markets with a low interest markets with a low interest in art and culture and with a to high interest in art and in art and culture, but with in art and culture and very significantly high knowledge culture but with average significant familiarity with poor knowledge of the of the Flemish Masters, to poor knowledge of the Flemish Masters, namely the Flemish Masters, namely namely Russia and Spain; Flemish Masters, namely , Germany and Switzerland, Norway and Italy, , China, the Austria; Sweden. United Kingdom, the , France, Denmark, India and Japan;

THE MARKET POTENTIAL OF THE FLEMISH MASTERS IS BASED ON THE RESULTS OF A MARKET RESEARCH DONE IN 17 COUNTRIES, IN WHICH THE INTEREST IN ART AND CULTURE AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FLEMISH MASTERS HAS BEEN SURVEYED.

MORE INFORMATION: www.toerismevlaanderen.be/publicaties/marktonderzoek-vlaamse-meesters

* The size of the dot indicates the 2015 market share in Flanders. Definitions

1 Flanders = Flemish + Brussels region of residential tourists, taking into account that each tourist is counted as an ‘arrival’ each time he uses a new 2 Overnight stays and arrivals figures are collected by the accommodation. FPD - Directorate-general Statistics, in commercial lodging accommodations (hotels, B&B’s, camp sites, holiday parks, The volume of overnight stays is the total of all overnight youth accommodation, social accommodation for adults stays associated with the registered arrivals. The represented and other holiday accommodation), including rental arrival and overnight figures cover both leisure and business accommodations at the coast. Rental accommodation in the trips. interior (holiday cottages) are included as a sample survey since 2015. 3 The gross occupancy rate is calculated based on the number of rented rooms in relation to the numbers of Not included in these figures: non-commercial rental rooms available. The gross occupancy rate does not take VISITFLANDERS [email protected] | 02 504 03 00 accommodation, second homes and permanent places on a into account closing dates. camp site. 4 Self-employed includes the categories Hotels, Recreation, More research, statistics and definitions: www.toerismevlaanderen.be/figures. The number of arrivals corresponds with the number Cafés, Amusements, Fairs and liberal professions in art.

Publisher: Peter De Wilde, Toerisme Vlaanderen, Grasmarkt 61, 1000 Brussels Wettelijk Depot: D/2016/5635/45/4