Airbnb is booming in Brussels

The number of accommodations available in Brussels via Airbnb continues to rise. Airbnb is the world's largest lodging provider, offering unique accommodations from local hosts in more than 190 countries. Its website currently shows more than 5,000 accommodations available in the capital, according to the Brussels Hotels Association (BHA).

The number of Airbnb users has tripled in Brussels over the last few years. The latest figures indicate that there are more than 20,000 beds spread over 5,207 addresses, which are rented out by about 3,700 property owners. One-fifth of the Airbnb accommodations in Belgium are found in the Brussels-Capital Region, a significant share, according to BHA, considering all of the Brussels hotels combined offer 17,677 rooms.

Brussels is an important Airbnb destination and provider, even though this market segment attracts only 1.5% of young visitors to the capital. Another 1.2% opt for CouchSurfing, a free hospitality exchange. Hotels are still good for 95% of the overnight stays, followed by hostels, B&Bs and staying with friends or family.

"Tourism in Brussels is on the rise, with 7 million visitors in 2014, and we aim to reach 10 million by 2020,” VisitBrussels spokesperson Martha Meeze told Brussel Deze Week. “All accommodation packages are a nice bonus. For us, there is no competition in the overnight market, with each type offering something different for another public. "