Flanders continues post-pandemic tourism revival with the help of its beers

By the end of the year, 12 breweries in Flanders will have a new centre to welcome visitors and showcase the production and consumption of beer. The breweries received a total of 3 million euros from the fund created by the EU to get the European economy back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of the hundreds of billions of euros in the European Commission’s recovery fund, Flanders received around 2 billion. Visit Flanders, the regional government agency that promotes tourism, distributed 18.5 million euros in subsidies across four priorities: beer – later broadened to culinary experiences – nature, cycling and art.

The goal around beer is to attract more beer lovers, both professionals and non-professionals, to the region. Some 50 brewers introduced initiatives to make their facilities more worthy of a visit, with 12 chosen to have new visitor centres.

Several of them make the traditional geuze in artisanal breweries around Brussels. The others are spread out over Flanders. They offer tasting facilities, restaurants, workshops and visits to the production sites.

As the money was destined for economic recovery, it had to be spent urgently. However, Visit Flanders will continue to promote Flemish beers after this year. Flanders already has more than 10 beer festivals throughout the year and initiatives will be launched to promote the breweries and beers in other countries.

2026 is a special occasion, as it’s the 10th anniversary of Unesco’s recognition of Belgian beer culture as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Unesco recognises the quality and variety of Belgian beers, but also the café culture, the influence of beer on gastronomy, the centuries of craftsmanship and the innovations of today.

_{#FlandersNewsService | The brewery of the trappist abbey of Westmalle, geuze beer, the Mardesous hop harvest festival and a sign outside a bar in Germany © BELGA PHOTO ROBBE VANDEGEHUCHTE , SEBASTIEN MONMART and AXEL CLEENEWERCK}