Belgium increasingly popular with Chinese tourists

Belgium is one of the fastest-growing long-haul destinations for Chinese tourists during the Golden Week holiday, according to Bloomberg.

More and more Chinese people are booking long-haul holidays during Golden Week, a Chinese holiday during the week of 1 October. Croatia, Scandinavian countries and the United Arab Emirates are also among the fastest-growing destinations.

Bloomberg used figures from Qunar and Trip.com, two of the largest online travel agencies in China. International flight bookings doubled compared to last year's Golden Week, with Europe seeing the strongest growth.

Car rental bookings increased by 150 per cent and the number of cruise holidays booked increased sevenfold. Despite the increases, Chinese travel habits have not quite returned to pre-Covid-19 levels. There has also been a shift from group travel to more individual travel.

^{Tourists walking in Rue au Beurre on their way to the Grand Place in Brussels © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE}