TravelBI by Turismo de Portugal

Markets

Belgium

Market Characterization for Portugal

In 2024, Belgium positioned itself as the 12th tourist market for destination Portugal measured by the overnight stays indicator (2.0% share) and the 13th for the guests indicator (1.9% share). In 2024, the Belgian market recorded around 358.9 thousand guests (var.24/23: +4.3%) who generated 1,140.0 thousand overnight stays (var.24/23: +4.8%). It stands out as the 12th market in terms of tourism revenue with €514.5 million (share: 1.9%), up 6.7% on 2023.

In terms of overnight stays, the Algarve was the main destination for Belgian tourists visiting Portugal (30.8%), followed by Greater Lisbon (23.8%), Madeira (16.2%) and the North (13.8%). In terms of type, overnight stays in hotels predominated (57.3%), followed by local accommodation (16.8%) and apartment hotels (9.7%).

According to ForwardKeys, in 2024, the available area capacity grew to 1.7 million seats (var.24/23: +0.5%); with 5 airlines responsible for 99.8% of the total capacity: Ryanair (share: 39.3%), Brussels Airlines (27.7%), TAP Air Portugal (23.3%), Transavia (5.9%) and TUI Belgium (3.6%). Most operations originate in the city of Brussels (99.9%).

It should be noted that Belgian tourists have an average stay of 7.8 nights in Portugal (ForwardKeys, 2024); the majority buy airline tickets through direct channels (share: 81.1%); and travel as a couple (33.7%).

According to SIBS data, Greater Lisbon will account for 28.1% of the 174.5 million euros in card purchases originating in Belgium in 2024. Greater Lisbon has the highest volume of card transactions (28.1% share), followed by the Algarve with a 25.4% share and the North (18.1%).

2024 Position | Year-over-Year Change

Guests 0.4M 13º | 4.3%

Overnight stays 1.1M 12º | 4.8%

Tourism revenue 514.5M€ 12º | 6.7%

Disembarked passengers 0.7M 11º | -0.2%

Market Profile

Change 24/23

11.9 M Population

0.8 %

68079.0 USD GDP per Capita

3.1 %

3.6 % Inflation Rate

1.3 pp

24.0 % Savings Rate

0.0 pp

Belgium, with 11.8 million inhabitants, ranks as the 23rd largest economy in the world and 7th in the European Union. It represented 2.5% of the population and generated 3.4% of the EU's GDP.

According to Globaldata, in 2024, Belgium ranked as the 7th largest source market for tourists worldwide, generating 28.5 million trips in 2024, which represents a 1.8% share of total world tourism demand. Around 91.2% of flows are concentrated on the European continent. The Travel Survey data shows that of the total number of trips made abroad by Belgian tourists, around 58% originate in the Flanders region, the source area with the most trips, followed by the Walloon region (27%) and the capital Brussels (15%).

In turn, 57.8% of trips abroad in 2024 made by Belgian tourists were by land, 41.0% were by air and 1.2% by sea.

Team

Info.Netherlands@turismodeportugal.pt

0031703111002

Perspectives

The latest IMF figures indicate that the Belgian economy will grow by 1.4% in 2023, despite the current unfavorable international climate, the conflict in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East and rising costs for energy and other raw materials and intermediate goods. For 2024 and 2025, slightly lower growth is expected, in the order of 1.1% and 1.2% respectively.

According to GlobalData, between 2025 and 2028, international departures from Belgium are expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% to reach a total of 35.4 million departures in 2028. Spending by German tourists abroad is expected to increase at a CAGR of 10.1% over the same period.

According to estimates by OAG Scheludes Analyser, for the 2025 summer season compared to 2024 (April 1 to September 30), the number of available scheduled airline seats is led by Spain with 2.3 million seats (+4.4%), Italy: 1.4 million seats (+10.2%), France: 750,000 seats (+1.8%), Greece 600,000 seats (+4.9%), Portugal: 510,000 seats (+13.7%) and Turkey: 500,000 seats (+16.9%).

Forwardkeys' data on bookings indicates that passenger forecasts from the Belgian market to Portugal, for the period July to December 2025, are expected to grow by +5.9% compared to the previous year.