Tourism direct GDP (2022) | Tourism direct employment (2022) | Travel exports (2024) |
|---|---|---|
1.5% of total GDP (down 0.2 percentage points since 2019) | 7.4% of total employment (up 0.15 percentage points since 2019) | 6.2% of total service exports (down 0.3 percentage points since 2023) |
OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026
National tourism strategy: Flanders: Policy Note 2024-2029 | Wallonia: Tourism Strategy 2030
Responsible government agency: Flanders: VisitFlanders | Wallonia: Tourism Wallonia
National tourism budget: Flanders: EUR 75 million (2026) | Wallonia: EUR 65 million (2026)
Key tourism policy priorities and actions:
Implementing a long-term, integrated tourism strategy – Working to implement the Tourism Strategy 2030 which aims to develop sustainable and competitive tourism, that focuses on quality, innovation, and international positioning (Wallonia).
Transition to sustainable tourism models – Implementing the Walloon Sustainable Development Strategy and the reform of the Walloon Tourism Code and introducing the “Tourism for All” charter to ensure social inclusion and accessibility (Wallonia).
Fostering sustainable tourism development that creates social added value – Enabling Flanders to flourish as an innovative, and high-quality travel destination for the benefit of its residents, entrepreneurs, and visitors under the ‘Tourism to Tomorrow’ vision (Flanders).
In Belgium, tourism is under the respective authority of three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. This section provides a national overview of the impact of tourism in the country, followed by detail of the respective governance and policy initiatives of the Flanders and Wallonia regions. Travel exports represented 6.2% of total service exports in 2024.
In 2024, Belgium received 6.6 million international tourists in hotel accommodation, who spent a total of 12.6 million nights in hotels and similar establishments. Of this figure, 3.2 million visited Flanders (an increase of 3% from 2023), 2.6 million visited Brussels (an increase of 4% from 2023) and 819 thousand visited Wallonia (a decrease of 3% from 2023). The top three source markets in 2024 were the Netherlands (18%), France (15%) and Germany (11%). In 2025, arrivals grew by an 3.1%.
Based on a travel survey, Belgium estimates that 5.7 million domestic overnight trips were taken in 2024 in all types of accommodation. This figure is 2.3% below 2023 levels.
In Flanders, tourism is the responsibility of the Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Housing, Energy and Climate, Tourism and Youth. The Tourism Unit of the Flanders Department of Chancellery and Foreign Affairs is responsible for international tourism policy and relations. Visit Flanders is responsible for the sustainable development and promotion of Flanders as a tourist destination.
The overall public sector budget allocated to tourism remains stable at around EUR 75 million in 2026.
Source: OECD, adapted from the Flanders Department of Chancellery and Foreign Affairs, 2026.
Tourism in Flanders is guided by the Policy Note of the Minister for Tourism for 2024-2029. The overall vision is called ‘Travel to Tomorrow’ and is centred around building flourishing communities, creating balance between the added value for the tourist, the inhabitant, the entrepreneurs and respect for the place itself. The three strategic goals include:
Making the right to a holiday a reality for every Flemish person
Developing and promoting thematic experiences with international potential and supporting tourism stakeholders
Attracting, supporting, and creating impactful events together with partners, EventFlanders.
To make holiday experiences a reality for young people Flanders will introduce a new youth tourism master plan and invest in youth hostels to improve sustainability and quality by creating a new support framework. In 2026, Flanders celebrates 25 years of ‘Everyone Deserves a Holiday’ with new initiatives to be introduced.
Improving accommodation standards is a key priority for Flanders. To address this the Accommodation Decree will be amended to comply with the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation, with accommodation only recognised as tourist accommodation if it has a planning permit. Further investments will be made to renovate existing tourist accommodation, with all formally recognised accommodation establishments able to apply for financial support to invest in sustainability.
Flanders is being further developed thematically as a destination for international visitors, with areas of focus including the commemoration of World War One, nature and water experiences, and a new Blue Economy experience centre. The coastal vision is being shaped by tourism, and actions are being implemented to support tourism interests, with the aim to make the coast a priority again. VisitFlanders is developing specific promotional campaigns for the various themes and storylines.
Events will remain a core driver for tourism in Flanders. In 2026, EventFlanders will support the organisation of events such as Antwerp Fashion, the opening festival for the Design Museum Gent, and the European 3x3 Basketball Championship. Leuven will also receive support as the European Capital of Culture 2030. EventFlanders also collaborates with event experts to develop top-level events policy via the annual Event Sector Congress and by developing tools and partnerships to inspire and connect the conference and events sector.
In Wallonia, tourism is the responsibility of the Minister for Tourism, Heritage, and early Childhood, but also the Vice-President and Minister in charge of Childhood, Youth, Youth Support and Courthouse for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking community). The German-speaking community has made an agreement with Wallonia to manage tourism in its territory. Two main bodies support the Wallonia tourism sector:
Tourism Wallonia (previously the General Tourism Commission) is the main tourism administration in Wallonia and focuses on developing quality tourism. It provides support to the sector through advice, recognition, labelling and financial aid.
VISITWallonia (previously Wallonia Belgium Tourism) is responsible for promoting Walloon tourism in Belgium and foreign markets.
The 2026 Walloon budget allocated to tourism is EUR 65 million.
Source: OECD, adapted from Tourism Wallonia, 2026.
Tourism in Wallonia is guided by the Tourism Strategy 2030, which sets a roadmap for sustainable and competitive tourism, focusing on quality, innovation, and international positioning. Launched in 2022, the overall goals of the Strategy are to increase the economic impact of tourism in Wallonia utilising two primary branding identities, “Authenticity, folklore, culture and heritage” and “Nature and escape”, and by targeting priority customer segments and developing a sustainable, distinctive offer.
Wallonia has developed a Digital Strategy for Tourism that aims to accelerate digital adoption across the sector, including through the creation of a digital transaction platform for operators, ‘My Digital Baggage’. This platform, developed in 2023, is designed to integrate digital tools for marketing, reservations, and customer engagement and will provide a centralised platform for booking, promotion, and co-ordination between operators and tourists. To further promote digitalisation and AI adoption, Wallonia is providing training programs and digital tools to help small operators adopt technology, while facilitating access to e-commerce and online visibility solutions. The My Digital Baggage platform provides a digital maturity diagnostic tool for tourism businesses, quick links to existing tools for capacity building and digital vouchers to help finance participation of businesses (see box below).
Transitioning to sustainable tourism models requires sustainable tourism products, but also the necessary funding, infrastructure and skills to implement and maintain them. Wallonia is working to create and enhance national parks and natural areas while also investing in eco-friendly infrastructure for cycling tourism and nature trails. There is also a focus on adapting public transport to improve access to nature sites and reduce car dependency.
Wallonia is increasingly moving towards more regulated funding mechanisms for sustainable projects, while exploring ways to better co-ordinate sustainability initiatives. For example, professional tourism associations applying for public funding must submit annual action plans using a standardised template that links each action to predefined strategic and operational objectives. Sustainable tourism is explicitly included as an eligible objective, requiring associations to indicate and justify how proposed actions contribute to themes such as sustainability, environmental responsibility, capacity building, network co-ordination or digital transition.
Finally, training programmes are being introduced for operators on eco-responsible practices and green certification, with additional awareness campaigns targeting tourists to encourage sustainable behaviour.
To improve social inclusion and accessibility, Wallonia is working to develop inclusive tourism offers for people with reduced mobility and vulnerable groups while promoting social and solidarity tourism initiatives. Policies in the tourism sector seek to promote economic resilience and local value creation by reinforcing local supply chains in areas such as hospitality, crafts and cultural events, while also encouraging the diversification of tourism segments to address seasonality and market concentration. Tourism Wallonia has entrusted the 26 organisations that represent “touristic areas” to manage partnerships with local offerings, including local producers and artisanal crafts.
Labour shortages and skills development remain a key priority for Wallonia. The development of a sector-wide tourism brand under VISITWallonia aims to make tourism careers more appealing, while new programmes are being introduced to develop skills for the tourism workforce. Programmes include training in digitalisation, multilingual hospitality and eco-responsible practices and the professionalisation of nature guides and hospitality staff to meet new visitor expectations. Workforce development will also be integrated into the VISITWallonia platform for better co-ordination.
Wallonia has implemented the ‘My Digital Baggage’ platform to support the digitalisation of tourism SMEs. More specifically, it aims to help tourism businesses adopt digital tools that help them better connect with tourists and meet their digital demands. It is based around three key tools:
Digital maturity diagnostics: Created as a starting point for skills development. Based on questions about the five stages of the customer journey, the diagnostic provides a clear view of the strengths and/or areas for improvement in digital matters. The diagnosis can be carried out independently or accompanied by a provided digital coach.
Digital training and actions database: A catalogue of nearly 200 actions to help improve digital skills. The catalogue provides training, awareness-raising activities, workshops and webinars, and personalised support mechanisms.
Digital vouchers: Up to 25 vouchers are offered to each tourism establishment to finance actions specially developed as part of this project (e.g. diagnosis support, audit of digital tools, personalised support). Vouchers are provided to managers of registered tourist facilities and are valid for 2 months once requested.
The website also includes a section on digital accessibility to help businesses provide an inclusive welcome and a seamless experience for all travellers, regardless of their needs.
My Digital Baggage is an initiative of Tourism Wallonia in partnership with VISITWallonia, the Forem Tourism Competence Centre and other actors.