Abstract
Why buy this report
- Get insight into trends in market performance
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
- Identify market and brand leaders and understand the competitive
environment
Product coverage
Car rental; Demand factors; Health & wellness tourism; Tourism flows domestic;
Tourism flows inbound; Tourism flows outbound; Tourism receipts and
expenditure; Tourist attractions; Transportation; Travel accommodation; Travel
retail
Executive summary
A higher number of Belgians seek the sun
Despite the economic uncertainties in 2008, Belgians travelled abroad in
record numbers. Outbound holidays increased compared with 2007. The poor
summer weather of recent years encouraged Belgians to continue to seek out a
warmer climate for their holidays. Popular destinations remained traditional,
such as France, Spain and Italy, but increasingly attractive were Turkey and
Egypt.
The continued development of transportation
As a result of the record numbers of Belgians travelling, transportation
showed healthy growth in 2008. In particular, the low cost carrier segment
continued to expand, with new destinations appearing on Belgian schedules
throughout 2008. Flights to and from Romania and Bulgaria were added,
capitalising on these new entrants to the EU. Train travel grew slightly as a
whole, but faster journey times for key international routes led to strong
growth in travel to and from London and Paris.
Business tourism is strong, but faces competition
Business tourism continues to be a key market for Belgium, and approximately
one third of inbound visitors to Belgium came for business purposes in 2008.
The business arrivals market experienced positive growth in 2008. Belgium, and
in particular Brussels, has a strong tradition of business tourism. Its key
position in the centre of Europe makes it convenient for many companies to
meet there, and it is the location for the headquarters of many international
organisations, as well as the administrative centre for the EU. However, it is
now facing increasing competition from other European cities, which are
becoming equally accessible and offering lower prices.
Travel agents still play a crucial role
Travel retailers had a record year in 2008, with the value of bookings up by
4%. The majority of Belgians still rely on travel agents for booking and
organising their holidays. Whilst the market is becoming more sophisticated,
with increasing numbers of online bookings, using a travel agent is still the
most popular choice for arranging travel. The two main players in this market,
TUI Travel Centre and Thomas Cook, are both striving to be market leader, and
this encourages competitive pricing and innovation in terms of the packages
offered. All-inclusive packages were very popular amongst Belgians in 2008,
enabling holidaymakers to budget successfully in the current economic
uncertainty.
Political divisions cloud future plans
The continued political divisions within Belgium do nothing to enhance its
international credentials. Within the country, business continued as usual,
even though the country went without a government for 196 days in 2007, and
the Prime Minister tried to resign in 2008 after only four months in office.
However, these divisions clouded the worldwide promotion of Belgium, as the
separate federal entities which promote only their own regions do not have a
strong recognised international presence. It is difficult to predict what will
happen in Belgian politics in the future, but it is clear that international
tourism faces an uphill struggle.
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