Markets
Belgium

Market Characterization for Portugal

In 2025, Belgium ranked as the 12th largest source market for international tourism to Portugal based on the number of overnight stays (2.0% share) and the 13th largest based on the number of visitors (1.9% share). In 2025, the Belgian market recorded approximately 370,800 guests (year-over-year change: +3.3%), who generated 1,157,800 overnight stays (year-over-year change: +1.6%). It stands out as the 12th-largest market in terms of tourism revenue with €533.9 million (share: 1.9%), up 3.4% compared to 2024.

In terms of overnight stays, the Algarve was the top destination for Belgian tourists visiting Portugal (30.1%), followed by Greater Lisbon (23.4%), Madeira (16.3%), and the North (15.0%). By accommodation type, hotel stays predominated (55.8%), followed by private rentals (17.0%) and apartment hotels (10.0%).

According to Amadeus, in 2025, available air capacity grew to 1.9 million seats (year-over-year change: +12.7%); with 5 airlines accounting for 99.8% of total capacity: Ryanair (market share: 41.5%), Brussels Airlines (28.0%), TAP Air Portugal (23.1%), Transavia (4.2%), and TUI Belgium (3.0%). Most flights originate in the city of Brussels (99.9%).

According to SIBS data, Greater Lisbon accounts for 27.1% of the €160.3 million in card purchases originating in Belgium in 2025, recording the highest volume of card transactions, followed by the Algarve (25.5%) and the North (18.5%).

2025 Position | Year-over-Year Change
Guests 0.4M 13º | 3.3%
Overnight stays 1.2M 12º | 1.5%
Tourism revenue 533.9M€ 12º | 3.4%
Disembarked passengers 0.8M 11º | 11.8%

Market Profile

Change 24/23
11.9 M Population
0.7 %
68079.0 USD GDP per Capita
3.1 %
3.6 % Inflation Rate
1.3 pp
24.1 % Savings Rate
0.0 pp

With a population of 11.9 million, Belgium ranks as the 23rd largest economy in the world and the 7th largest in the European Union. It accounted for 2.5% of the EU’s population and generated 3.4% of its GDP.

According to GlobalData, in 2024, Belgium ranked as the 7th largest source market for tourists worldwide, generating 28.5 million trips in 2024, representing a 1.8% share of total global tourism demand. Approximately 91.2% of these trips are concentrated on the European continent. Data from the Travel Survey indicate that of the total trips taken by Belgian tourists abroad, about 58% originated in the Flanders region, the source area with the highest number of trips, followed by the Wallonia 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% were by sea.

Team

Info.Netherlands@turismodeportugal.pt
0031703111002

Perspectives

The latest IMF data indicate that the Belgian economy grew by 1.3% in 2023, despite the unfavorable global economic environment, the conflict in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, and rising costs for energy, raw materials, and intermediate goods. For 2024 and 2025, slightly lower growth is projected, at 1.0% and 1.1%, 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. Meanwhile, spending by German tourists abroad is expected to increase at a CAGR of 10.1% over the same period.

According to estimates from OAG Schedules Analyser, comparing the 2025 summer season to 2024 (April 1 to September 30), the number of scheduled available 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%).

Data from Forwardkeys regarding bookings indicate that passenger forecasts for travel from Belgium to Portugal, covering the period from November 2025 to April 2026, are expected to decline by 6.7% compared to the same period the previous year.

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