Belgian Coast Sees Decline in Visitors Over Ascension Day Weekend
Brussels, The Gulf Observer: The Belgian coastal tourism sector saw a notable slowdown over the Ascension Day weekend compared to the previous year, according to figures released by tourism agency Westtoer.
Over the four-day period, approximately 600,000 overnight stays were recorded along the coast—a 14% decrease from the same weekend in 2024. Hotel bookings followed a similar trend, down by 12% year-on-year.
One factor behind last year’s higher figures was the alignment of the long weekend with the end of the French-speaking Belgian school holidays, which encouraged more southern Belgians to extend their seaside vacations.
This year, weather conditions also played a role in the decline. Despite earlier forecasts predicting fair weather, the conditions turned out to be less favourable, discouraging last-minute bookings and prompting a drop in visits from secondary residents.
An estimated 450,000 day-trippers visited the coast, with peak activity on Friday and Saturday. Still, this represented a 19% drop in day tourism compared to last year’s figures.
Westtoer continues to monitor tourism trends as the summer season approaches, with hopes that improving weather and upcoming holiday periods will boost coastal visitation.
