Belgians spent €7.8 billion last year on travel

Between April 2014 and March 2015, Belgians spent a total of €7.8 billion on holiday travel, according to the results of a survey of 5,250 Belgians by market research company WES. The number of trips taken (13.9 million with at least one overnight stay) was as high as the year before, but Belgians spent more per trip, the study shows. Included in the travel expenses are transport, lodging and expenses during the stay.

Compared to the previous survey in 2012-13, the number of times Belgians went on holiday remained stable, while spending on holiday grew by about €0.5 billion. In 2010-2011, Belgians spent €6.4 billion on a total of 12.7 million trips.

The majority of the €7.8 billion spent last year went to travel within Europe, while only €0.9 billion went to travel within Belgium. Leisure travel outside of Europe accounted for €1.2 billion.

About 68% of Belgians took at least one holiday last year. A quarter of them (24%) travelled both in Belgium and abroad, 9% took time off work but stayed at home and 35% only went abroad.

When looking at the number of trips made to each country, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy are the most popular holiday destinations for Belgians.

The survey also reveals that the majority of Belgians travel to spend time with family or friends and to relax, rather than to discover new things or to do sports.