Extended autumn break increases tourism to Belgian coast

With French-speaking schools in Belgium extending the autumn break to two weeks, new statistics suggest that this increased the number of tourists visiting the Belgian coast.

The tourist information centre Westtoer conducted a survey to determine the number of tourists who had flocked to the Belgian seaside lately, especially since French-speaking families had been handed an extra week of vacation in late October.

In all, the Belgian coast registered 1.2 million overnight stays, representing a 7% rise in tourists over last year, with a 40% increase in travellers during the second week of the holidays. Furthermore, the extended weekend of 1 November resulted in a 90% hotel occupancy.

In response, Westtoer praised the calendar change as this "adds to the widening of the tourist season, with a spread in time and space being an important aspect in contemporary tourism."

^{#FlandersNewsService | People enjoy the unusually high temperatures at the Belgian coast in Oostende on Saturday 29 October 2022 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}