Belgium - Travel and TourismBelgium - Travel and Tourism
Overview
The United States is still one of the top long-haul destinations for Belgian travelers. With 294,221 Belgians visiting the U.S. in 2018, Belgium is in the top 30 of countries that travel most to the U.S. The outlook for 2019 remains optimistic but fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate and economic uncertainties could have an impact on the number of Belgians traveling to the U.S.
Number of Belgian Arrivals in the U.S.
Year Arrivals
2016 275,601
2017 278,127
2018 294,221
2019 299,120 (est.)
Source: NTTO
(In April 2018, the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) announced the suspension of data releases on overseas arrivals to the United States pending resolution of underlying technical issues with a significant number of I-94 records received from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP))
Two U.S. airlines, Delta and United, offer daily flights from Brussels to a number of American destinations including Chicago, Newark, New York/JFK, Atlanta and Washington. Aer Lingus and Icelandair offer good connections in Dublin and Reykjavik. Furthermore, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam and Paris are easily accessible from Belgium so offer enormous potential as well.
The United States remains very attractive. There has not been a great shift away from traditional destinations. The three most popular destinations are New York, California and Florida. However, states like Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah are gradually attracting more and more Belgian visitors.
Belgians generally have a high level of disposable income to spend on luxury items and leisure activities such as travel. Out of the five to six weeks of paid vacation that are standard for most Belgian workers, two of these are usually spent on long-haul travel. The average Belgian stays in the United States for 13 days and spends an average $2,500 (not including airfare), making Belgians some of the biggest spenders out of all the visitors to the U.S.
A study by Touring (May 2018) shows that 60% of Belgians book their holiday online. Only 17.8% of the generation of 65 and above uses Internet. The rest still uses the services of travel agencies. The most active online bookings (66%) are made by 18 to 34 years old. Belgians usually book their holidays one to six months in advance. The most popular websites are Booking.com, Trivago, Airbnb and other apps.
Opportunities
Extensive business and cultural ties between Belgium and the United States, as well as Belgian interest in the American Way of life, shopping opportunities, national parks, big cities, and attractions provide an excellent basis for market promotion of the U.S. tourism industry.
Opportunities for package deals combining flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation destinations are often attractive to Belgian visitors, and are particularly popular with the middle-income population. Since around half of the Belgian visitors to the U.S. are leisure travelers, the potential fly-and-drive market accounts for roughly 50% of the total Belgian market. Business travelers should, however, not be overlooked since many business travelers combine a short vacation with their business trips and may thus find fly-and-drive combinations best suited to their needs as well. Approximately 45% of Belgian tourists in the U.S. rent vehicles to travel between cities, as opposed to 8% that use the interstate and inter-city rail system and 5% that use the interstate and inter-city bus system.
Web Resources
Visit USA Committee/Marketing and Promotion Bureau for Belgium and Luxembourg
https://www.facebook.com/visitusabelgium/
Visit USA Workshop (B2B), Fall 2019
BT Expo – October 28 - 29, 2019. Trade Show for tourism and MICE professionals
www.btexpo.com
Brussels Holiday Fair - February 6 – 9, 2020
This annual consumer show attracts over 110,000 visitors every year. Up to 65% of the visitors book their holidays after their visit to the fair.
http://www.brusselsholidayfair.be/ Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.
The United States is still one of the top long-haul destinations for Belgian travelers. With 294,221 Belgians visiting the U.S. in 2018, Belgium is in the top 30 of countries that travel most to the U.S. The outlook for 2019 remains optimistic but fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate and economic uncertainties could have an impact on the number of Belgians traveling to the U.S.
Number of Belgian Arrivals in the U.S.
Year Arrivals
2016 275,601
2017 278,127
2018 294,221
2019 299,120 (est.)
Source: NTTO
(In April 2018, the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) announced the suspension of data releases on overseas arrivals to the United States pending resolution of underlying technical issues with a significant number of I-94 records received from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP))
Two U.S. airlines, Delta and United, offer daily flights from Brussels to a number of American destinations including Chicago, Newark, New York/JFK, Atlanta and Washington. Aer Lingus and Icelandair offer good connections in Dublin and Reykjavik. Furthermore, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam and Paris are easily accessible from Belgium so offer enormous potential as well.
The United States remains very attractive. There has not been a great shift away from traditional destinations. The three most popular destinations are New York, California and Florida. However, states like Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah are gradually attracting more and more Belgian visitors.
Belgians generally have a high level of disposable income to spend on luxury items and leisure activities such as travel. Out of the five to six weeks of paid vacation that are standard for most Belgian workers, two of these are usually spent on long-haul travel. The average Belgian stays in the United States for 13 days and spends an average $2,500 (not including airfare), making Belgians some of the biggest spenders out of all the visitors to the U.S.
A study by Touring (May 2018) shows that 60% of Belgians book their holiday online. Only 17.8% of the generation of 65 and above uses Internet. The rest still uses the services of travel agencies. The most active online bookings (66%) are made by 18 to 34 years old. Belgians usually book their holidays one to six months in advance. The most popular websites are Booking.com, Trivago, Airbnb and other apps.
Opportunities
Extensive business and cultural ties between Belgium and the United States, as well as Belgian interest in the American Way of life, shopping opportunities, national parks, big cities, and attractions provide an excellent basis for market promotion of the U.S. tourism industry.
Opportunities for package deals combining flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation destinations are often attractive to Belgian visitors, and are particularly popular with the middle-income population. Since around half of the Belgian visitors to the U.S. are leisure travelers, the potential fly-and-drive market accounts for roughly 50% of the total Belgian market. Business travelers should, however, not be overlooked since many business travelers combine a short vacation with their business trips and may thus find fly-and-drive combinations best suited to their needs as well. Approximately 45% of Belgian tourists in the U.S. rent vehicles to travel between cities, as opposed to 8% that use the interstate and inter-city rail system and 5% that use the interstate and inter-city bus system.
Web Resources
Visit USA Committee/Marketing and Promotion Bureau for Belgium and Luxembourg
https://www.facebook.com/visitusabelgium/
Visit USA Workshop (B2B), Fall 2019
BT Expo – October 28 - 29, 2019. Trade Show for tourism and MICE professionals
www.btexpo.com
Brussels Holiday Fair - February 6 – 9, 2020
This annual consumer show attracts over 110,000 visitors every year. Up to 65% of the visitors book their holidays after their visit to the fair.
http://www.brusselsholidayfair.be/ Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.