In the second quarter of 2024, the number of domestic trips taken by Belgian citizens decreased by 8.9% compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from Statbel, Belgium‘s national statistics office.
A total of 1.3 million domestic trips were made during the second quarter, the data showed while the number of trips abroad rose by 3.1%, totalling 4.4 million trips.
In total, some 5,773,000 trips were made, either in Belgium or abroad, by Belgian nationals in Q2.
Travel outside Belgium
In terms of travel destinations outside Belgium, Germany saw the highest growth, with a 12.6% increase in trips compared to the second quarter of 2023, followed by Spain, which experienced a 10.4% rise.
France, however, remained the most popular foreign destination for Belgians, with 1.36 million trips, representing a 3.3% increase from the previous year.
On the domestic front, popular destinations such as the Ardennes, the coast, and Belgium’s cities of art saw declines in the number of trips. The Ardennes experienced a 19.0% drop, while the coast saw a decrease of 16%, and trips to the cities of art declined by 12.6%. Read more here.
High inflation rate
Recent data from Eurostat found that Belgium boasted the highest annual inflation rate in the euro area in October 2024, with a rate of 4.7%.
Other countries with high estimated annual inflation rates included Estonia (4.5%), Croatia (3.5%), Slovakia (3.5%), the Netherlands (3.3%), and Greece (3.2%), the data showed.
