Introduction ______3 Tourist accommodation ______4 Accommodation offer ______4 Tourist arrivals and overnights ______8 Meeting industry ______30 Supply of meeting rooms ______30 Number of meetings of international associations - UIA ______31 Number of meetings of international associations - ICCA ______32 Trade fairs and shows ______33 Cultural tourist services ______34 Cultural offer in museums and tourist attractions ______34 Number of visitors in museums and attractions ______34 Guided tours and Greeters ______35 Special and regular events in Brussels ______36 Transport ______38 Airports ______38 Brussels Airport – Zaventem ______39 Railway ______40 Accessibility performance of Brussels ______41 Sustainable tourism ______43 The Eco-Labels ______44 Offer of eco-certified accommodations ______45 The Green City Index ______47 Villo! ______48 Green spaces ______48 Persons with reduced mobility ______50
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 2. Introduction
The 2012 annual report of the Tourism Observatory in Brussels, drawn up in partnership by and between VISITBRUSSELS, Wallonie-Bruxelles Tourisme and Flanders Tourism.
This document is the result of the gathering and processing of data supplied by, among others, the FPS Economy, the French Community Commission (COCOF), MKG Hospitality, Tourmis and tourism service providers such as museums and attractions; it is drawn up in accordance with an efficient methodology recognised by all the Brussels tourism sectors.
The figures and graphs of these reports show certain major trends in 2012:
• In spite a period of economic crisis, and thanks to strong growth these last two years, Brussels has managed to stabilise and even to register slight growth ( (+0.1 %) in the number of night stays; • Urban tourism is progressing very satisfactorily in comparison with other sectors; • Leisure tourism has shown some weaknesses but a very clear recovery raised the figures again in the last months of 2012; • Night stays by foreign customers are up and account for 80.6% of the total.
Among the factors to be taken into account in this positive development, the hotel offer grew thanks to 5 new hotels (424 rooms) which opened in 2012. The new projects planned for 2013 and the subsequent years confirm the interest of the sector for the development of tourism in Brussels and make it possible to stay the course in meeting the challenge taken up in 2010 to double the number of night stays so as to reach 10,000,000 by 2020.
Brussels professional tourism is standing firm in the face of world economic difficulties and can be rightfully proud of its 2.4% growth under these circumstances – a result that consolidates its position as Europe’s number 1 country for congresses of associations (UAI).
And, as it is important to be attentive to trends in this important economic sector, tourism players are regularly informed throughout the year by Barometers that gauge fluctuations in night stays, the hotel occupancy rate and attendance in museums and attractions.
All these monthly reports are available at all times on the website of the Tourism Observatory in Brussels: www.visitbrussels.be (Menu : “Observatory”)
Frédéric Cornet Manager Observatory for Tourism in Brussels
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 3.
Tourist accommodation
Accommodation offer
Offer of tourist accommodations
Type Number of Number of rooms Capacity in beds/ establishments bedplaces
Hotels 193 17 172 34 955 bedplaces
Youth hostels 10 195 1 504 lits
Recognised Bed & Breakfasts 106 190 409 bedplaces
Bed & Breakfasts included in the 72 142 326 bedplaces DGSIE 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 (72 out of 106 recognised by the French-speaking Community Commission (known by the French acronym “COCOF”)) have been integrated in the data of the Department of Economic Information and Statistics (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.
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 4.
Offer of hotels
Type Number of Number of rooms Capacity in bedplaces establishments
Hotels 193 17 172 34 955
Category:
5***** 12 2 176 4 382
4**** 52 8 104 16 521
3*** 64 5 200 10 491
2** 37 946 1 920
1* 14 346 710
Not classified 14 400 931
Capacity in number of rooms :
<25 47 728 1 622
25 – 99 87 4 667 9 508
100 – 249 45 7 011 14 079
250 and more 14 4 766 9 746
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 5.
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 DGSIE B&Bs ***** **** *** ** * clas. capacity) data 99 7 31 28 20 7 6 4 17 13 Brussels City 8 710 1 466 4 041 2 393 468 176 166 609 38 33 25 7 8 3 3 4 7 4 Saint-Gilles - - 1 905 801 782 111 75 136 14 8 17 2 5 7 1 1 1 1 5 3 Ixelles 1 547 438 730 323 22 13 21 160 11 8 Saint-Josse- 14 3 7 2 1 1 1 - - - ten-Noode 1 270 1 270 756 31 18 36 240 9 1 3 4 1 19 15 Schaerbeek - - - 645 354 94 163 34 26 20 6 1 2 1 1 1 9 7 Etterbeek - - 701 149 456 47 27 22 16 13 6 1 4 1 3 1 Anderlecht - - - - 445 60 353 32 6 3 Woluwe-Saint- 5 1 2 2 4 5 - - - - Lambert 348 126 180 42 9 12 4 2 1 1 1 1 Evere - - - - 466 326 120 20 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 Ganshoren - - - - - 49 30 19 3 2 Watermael- 2 1 1 8 5 - - - - - Boitsfort 17 11 6 12 8 1 1 6 3 Uccle ------101 101 9 8 Woluwe-Saint- 1 1 6 2 ------Pierre 63 63 12 3 1 1 3 2 Forest ------40 40 6 5 1 1 4 3 Jette ------24 24 4 3 Molenbeek- 2 1 ------Saint-Jean 241 1 1 8 5 Auderghem ------164 13 9 1 2 1 Koekelberg ------90 5 2 Berchem- 1 1 ------Sainte-Agathe 3 3 193 12 52 64 37 14 14 10 106 72 Total 17 172 2 176 8 104 5 200 946 346 400 1 504 190 142 Sources: Hotels, Youth Hostels and B&B’s in DGSIE data: DGSEI/Recognized B&Bs: Cocof
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 6.
Hotels planned
Name of the project Comments Municipality Size Date Tanglia Hotel (5*****) Renovation of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert 181 rooms 2013 Sodehotel (4****) (UCL St Luc) (126 previously) Astoria Hotel (5*****) Renovation of the Brussels City 142 rooms 2014 Astoria Hotel (Rue Royale) (109 previously) Motel One Royale 120 (2**) Reallocation of the Brussels City 490 rooms 2014 offices of “Le Soir” (Rue Royale) +210 m² of shops newspaper Nexity - Orion New hotel Etterbeek 110 rooms 2014 International (Rue Belliard) Gésu (5*****) New hotel Saint-Josse 75 rooms + 2016 conference rooms and parking Neo Global project on Min. 500 rooms the Heyzel Conference Center of 5.000 seats Source: CBRE / Observatory for Tourism in Brussels
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 7.
Tourist arrivals and overnights
All types of accommodation
Summary of occupation - 2012
Data % of total 2011-2012 variation Arrivals 3 165 092 -0.6%
Overnights 5 978 378 +0.1%
Average length of stay 1.89 jours +0.7%
Leisure overnights 2 727 155 45.6% -2.5%
Professional overnights 3 250 599 54.4% +2.4%
Overnights in hotels 5 694 074 95.2% +1.0%
Overnights in youth hostels 272 634 4.6% -18.5%
Overnights in B&Bs* 11 670
Hotels - occupancy rate 71.0% +0.6 points
Hotels - average price 107.91 € -2.0%
Hotels - RevPAR 77.37 € -1.1%
Overnights from Belgium 1 162 661 19.4% -2.6%
Overnights from foreign 4 815 717 80.6% +0.8% countries - France 767 082 12.8% -1.2%
- Great Britain 498 476 8.3% +2.5%
- Spain 415 359 6.9% -8.4%
- Germany 386 945 6.5% -6.8%
- United States 357 999 6.0% +2.0%
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 2010 and are henceforth included in the total number of night stays. We do not show their development by comparison with the past because the sources and scope were different.
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 8.
Total overnights since 2000
Source: DGSEI
Overnights by reason since 2000
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 9.
Overnights by municipality (2012) – Brussels and surroundings
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 10.
Note: For confidentiality reasons, some municipalities are not reported as they contain too few accommodation establishments.
Source: DGSEI
Source : DGSIE
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 11.
Overnights by country of origin - 2012
Note: the arrows in the second column show the variation in market position from 2011 to 2012.
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 12.
Overnights - Comparison and variation, 2011-2012
Source: DGSEI
Total overnights by month in all types of accommodations
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 13.
Overnights by type of accommodation - 2012
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 14.
Overnights 2012 and variation 2011-2012 - comparison by market
Note: the blue line represents the average variation for all countries
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 15.
Variation in overnights by reason and by country
Belgium
Source: DGSEI
France
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 16.
United Kingdom
Source: DGSEI
Spain
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 17.
Germany
Source: DGSEI
Netherlands
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 18.
BRIC Countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)
Source: DGSEI
National comparison
Overnights in other Belgian cities
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 19.
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 20.
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 21.
Hotels
Overnights by month in hotels
Source: DGSEI
Occupancy rates and prices
Source: MKG Hospitality
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 22.
Source: MKG Hospitality
Occupancy rates and prices by area and hotel categories
Source: MKG Hospitality
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 23.
Occupancy rates and average prices as a function of variation in the offer
Source: MKG Hospitality and DGSEI
Overnights by hotel category
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 24.
Leisure/professional overnights by hotel category
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 25.
Hotel overnights by country
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 26.
Youth hostels
Overnights in youth hostels
Source: DGSEI
Overnights by country in youth hostels
Source: DGSEI
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 27.
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”)
We do not show their development by comparison with the past because the sources and scope were different.
2012 Variation Arrivals 5.093 - Overnights 11.670 - Average length of stay 2.3 days Leisure overnights 7.184 (61.6%) Professional overnights 4.486 (38.4%) Source : DGSIE
Overnights by month in Bed & Breakfasts
Source: Bed & Brussels
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 28.
Overnights by country in Bed & Breakfasts
Source: Bed & Brussels
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 29.
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 5 5 5 2 0 800 8.000 concert halls Conference and 4 3 4 6 10 3.500 6.000 exhibition centres Historical 5 7 16 27 20 3.000 2.500 buildings and museums Modern and 3 7 14 15 16 1.100 1.200 contemporary buildings Cultural/sport 1 5 5 23 7 1.000 800 centres
Source: Let’s Meet 2013 - 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 13 850 1.050
4-Star Hotels 51 570 800
3-Star Hotels 43 300 300
2-Star Hotels 1 - 40
Source: Let’s Meet 2013 - VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 30.
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 31.
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 32.
Trade fairs and shows
Attendance at shows and trade fairs in Brussels in 2012
Name Place Dates 2012 Public, Prof. or Visitors mixed
European Motor Show Brussels Expo 10-22/01 Public 630.000
Batibouw Brussels Expo 1-11/03 Mixed 310.000
Salon de l'Alimentation Brussels Expo 6-21/10 Public 131.297
Brussels Holiday Show Brussels Expo 2-6/02 Public 101.286
Foire du Livre Tour & Taxis 1-5/03 Public 60.000
Mobicar Brussels Expo 29/09-4/10 Public 28.600
Zenith Brussels Expo 21-25/12 Public 27.175
European Seafood Brussels Expo 24-26/04 Prof. 25.600
Eurantica Brussels Brussels Expo 22/03-1/04 Public 25.000
Art Brussels Brussels Expo 18-22/4 Public 20.000
Culinaria 2 Tour & Taxis 31/05-3/06 Public 20.000
Creativa Brussels Expo 15-18/03 Public 17.000
Estetika Brussels Expo 17-19/03 Prof. 16.100
Affordable Art Fair Tour & Taxis 8-12/02 Public 15.000
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 33.
Cultural tourist services
Cultural offer in museums and tourist attractions
In 2012, Brussels had 107 museums, four attractions and one multicultural centre.
With 107 museums, Brussels is in third place in Europe, after Berlin (133) and London (115). After Brussels come Vienna, Budapest and Madrid (Source: Eurostat - Urban Audit).
Number of visitors in museums and attractions
Source: VISITBRUSSELS
Based on a panel of 27 museums and attractions, attendance reached 1.84 million visitors in 2011, an increase of 6.3% compared to 2010.
Museums and attractions included in this panel: Aquarium of Brussels, Atomium, Bruxella 1238, Belgian Comic Strip Centre, Coudenberg, Jacques Brel Editions, Experience Brussels, City of Brussels Museum (King’s House), Horta House, MIM (Musical Instruments Museum), Belgian Museum of Freemasonry, BELvue Museum, National Bank Museum, Halle Gate Museum, Children’s Museum, Museum of Letters and Manuscripts, Museums of the Far East, Cinquantenaire Museum (MRAH), Museum of Costume and Lace, Toy Museum, René Magritte Museum, Schaerbeek Beer Museum, van Buuren Museum, Museum of Natural Sciences, Museum for Old Techniques, Parlamentarium and Planetarium.
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 34.
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.
Greeters are volunteer residents with a passion for Brussels who share their time to show visitors their favourite things, their best tips and their vision of Brussels. They allow visitors to discover various facets of Brussels, ranging from exploration of a neighbourhood to trying a local beer, to walks through green areas or little-known sites. The accent is on authenticity and cultural exchange.
The network of Greeters had at the end of 2012 102 members who welcomed 1.152 tourists during 396 encounters.
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 35.
Special and regular events in Brussels
Special events
Name Place Dates Visitors
20/10/2011 - Terra Brasilis ING 50 000 12/02/2012
Kubrick MRBAB 21/03 - 1/07 47 418
12/10/2012 - Jordaens MRBAB 32 222 27/01/2013
Princess Marie-José - MRAH 9/10/2011 - 6/03 13 880 Between Belgium and Italy
Utamaro MRAH 3/04 - 27/05 11 005
Walking with Dinosaurs Brussels Expo 30/11 - 09/12 10 000
Ancient Cyprus. Cultures in 31/10/2012 - MRAH 9 097 dialogue 17/02/2013
Regular paid events
Name Place Dates Days Visitors Brussels Summer Festival Various in the city 11>22/08 12 105 000
Couleur Café Tour & Taxis 29/06-1/07 3 60 000
International Fantastic Film Tour & Taxis 5>17/04 13 60 000 Festival Memorial Van Damme King Baudouin 16/09 1 47 000 Stadium Museum Night Fever Various museums 3/03 1 43 000
Festival Anima Flagey 17-26/02 10 26 000
Botanique Nights Bota 10-21/05 12 28 480
Kunstenfestivaldesarts Various in the city 6>28/05 23 25 000
Eat! Bois de la Cambre 13>16/09 4 20 000
Nocturnes des Musées Art Various museums September- 13 19 500 Nouveau Biennial December Thursdays
Brosella Théâtre de 14-15/07 2 15 000 Verdure
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 36.
Regular free events
Name Place Dates Days Visitors 25/11/2012 - Winter Wonders Various places 37 1.500.000 1/01/2013
Boulevard du Kermesse of Brussels 12/07 - 18/08 31 1.400.000 Midi
quai des Bruxelles les Bains 6/07-12/08 33 320.000 Péniches
Brussels Jazz Marathon Various places 27>29/05 2 255.000
Euroferia Andaluza Atomium 1>3/06 3 170.000
Place des Tour of the Royal Palace 24/07-9/09 42 141.564 Palais
Nuit Blanche Various places 1/10 1 90.000
Mont des Arts Comic Strip Festival and other 10-11/09 2 84.000 places
Belgian Pride Various Places 12/05 2 70.000
31.152 runners 20 Km of Brussels Around the city 27/05 1 150.000 spectators
12.544 Brussels Marathon runners Around the city 6/10 1 and other races 12.000 spectators
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 37.
Transport
Airports
Number of passengers in the airports
Source: Brussels Airport / Brussels South Charleroi Airport
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 38.
Brussels Airport – Zaventem
Destination routes from and to Zaventem
Continent All year In season New in Discontinued 2012 in 2012
Europe 90 45 6 5
Africa 41 4 1 2
Middle East 8 0 0 3
Latin America 7 0 0 2
North America 8 0 0 0
Asia-Pacific 7 0 0 2
TOTAL 161 49 7 14 Source: Brussels Airport
Passengers by month
Source: Brussels Airport
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 39.
Top 10 destinations from and to Brussels (by number of passengers)
Europe Outside Europe 2011 2012 Var. 2011 2012 Var. Madrid 580 280 561 757 -3.2% New York* 581 658 664 152 +14.2%
London* 517 519 548 544 +6.0% Casablanca 192 835 194 262 +0.7%
Barcelona 508 726 523 191 +2.8% Tel Aviv 169 098 184 786 +9.3%
Geneva 514 158 514 159 +0.0% Abu Dhabi 148 916 171 619 +15.2%
Rome* 514 507 486 410 -5.5% Washington 152 754 159 764 +4.6%
Copenhagen 437 424 481 591 +10.1% Mumbai 130 071 151 670 +16.6%
Istanbul* 410 538 460 024 +12.1% Montreal 149 420 150 033 +0.4%
Milan* 469 198 459 383 -2.1% Toronto 136 630 145 089 +6.2%
Frankfurt 462 180 450 607 -2.5% Monastir* 109 335 137 196 +25.5%
Antalya 432 922 450 386 +4.0% Delhi 130 601 127 417 -2.4% *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).
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 40.
Accessibility performance of Brussels
In its Urban Audit, Eurostat carries out a comparison of 378 cities in Europe according to various accessibility criteria.
Multimodal accessibility index Top 10 (EUR-27 = 100) 1 Frankfurt am Main 190 2 Düsseldorf 187 3 Darmstadt 180 4 Mainz 179 5 Mülheim a.d.Ruhr 177 6 Brussels 177 7 Paris 177 8 Wiesbaden 175 9 Amsterdam 171 10 Essen 169
Index of accessibility by air Top 10 (EU-27=100) 1 Frankfurt am Main 187
2 Düsseldorf 184 3 Darmstadt 178 4 Brussels 177 5 Mainz 175 6 Paris 175 7 Amsterdam 175 8 Wiesbaden 173 9 Mülheim a.d.Ruhr 172 10 Stevenage 167
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 41.
Index of accessibility by road Top 10 & Brussels (EU-27 = 100) 1 Bochum 209 2 Mülheim a.d.Ruhr 208 3 Cologne 207 4 Essen 207 5 Düsseldorf 207 6 Dortmund 207 7 Frankfurt am Main 199 8 Mönchengladbach 197 9 Moers 194 10 Darmstadt 194 ...... 19 Brussels 186
Index of accessibility by rail Top 10 (EU27=100) 1 Cologne 236 2 Düsseldorf 233 3 Frankfurt am Main 230 4 Paris 225 5 Mülheim a.d.Ruhr 225 6 Mönchengladbach 223 7 Mainz 223 8 Essen 220 9 Brussels 217 10 Bonn 214
Source: Eurostat – reference period: 2003-2006
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 42.
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.
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 43.
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 44.
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
Offer of eco-certified accommodations
Lodging Green Key Aloft Brussels Schuman
Four Points by Sheraton Brussels
Ibis Brussels Centre Midi Station
NH Atlanta
NH Hotel du Grand Sablon
NH Stéphanie
Park Inn by Radisson Brussels Midi
Plaza Brussels (Le)
Radisson Blu EU
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel
Stanhope Hotel
Thon Hotel EU
Hostel of the 3 Fountains
Hostel Jacques Brel
Source: Let’s Meet 2013 - VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 45.
Ecodynamic Enterprise Label 3-Star Label Silken Berlaymont Brussels
2-Star Label Four Points by Sheraton Brussels Le Méridien Brussels Le Plaza Brussels Made in Louise Radisson Blu EU Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Sheraton Brussels Stanhope Hotel
Sleepwell – Espace du Marais (Youth Hostel)
1-Star Label (The) Dominican (Hotel) La Légende Pacific Café Hotel Rocco Forte Amigo Saint Nicolas
Source: Let’s Meet 2013 - VISITBRUSSELS
Other labels
EMAS Martin’s Central Park
Green Globe Crowne Plaza Brussels - Le Palace
Source : Let’s Meet 2013- VISITBRUSSELS
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 46.
Meeting venues
Green Key
Concert Noble (Europe district)
The Event Lounge (Schaerbeek)
The « Theatre » at Hotel Le Plaza (Brussels Rogier)
Tour & Taxis (Brussels Rogier)
Source : Let’s Meet 2013- VISITBRUSSELS
Ecodynamic Enterprise Label
Label 3 étoiles National Bank of Belgium (Brussels Grand-Place)
Label 2 étoiles Ancienne Belgique (Brussels Grand-Place) La Monnaie – Opera House (Brussels Grand-Place) Mundo Sustainable Development (Ixelles) Public Transport Museum (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre) The « Theatre » - Hotel Le Plaza (Brussels Rogier)
Label 1 étoile ING Belgium (Etterbeek) Museum of Natural Sciences (Europe district) Tour & Taxis (Brussels Rogier)
Source : Let’s Meet 2013- VISITBRUSSELS
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
Observatory for tourism in Brussels Page 47.
Villo!
Villo! is the name of the public bicycle rental system in Brussels.
2010 2011 2012 Variation Number of bikes to rent 2 000 2 400 3 625 + 51.0%
Number of stations 162 174 300 + 72.4%
Number of bike stands 3 929 4 214 7 218 + 71.3%
Number of long-term subscribers 23 967 26 743 31 927 +19.4%
Number of short-term 70 479 74 154 72 922 -1.7% subscribers Total number of subscribers 94 446 100 897 104 849 +3.9%
Source: 2012 Results Villo - April 2013
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 48.
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 49.
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 32 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 50.