Tourism in Belgium
Tourism in Belgium is one of
Belgium's industries. Its accessibility from elsewhere in
Europe makes it a popular
tourist destination. The tourist industry generates 2.8% of Belgium's
gross domestic product and employs 3.3% of the working population (142,000 people).
[1] 6.7 million people travelled to Belgium in 2005.
[2] Two-thirds of them come from the larger nearby countries -
France, The
Netherlands, the
United Kingdom and
Germany, there are also many tourists from
Spain and
Italy.
In 1993, 2% of the total workforce was employed in tourism, less than in many neighbouring countries.
[3] Much of the tourism industry is located either on the heavily developed coastline or in the
Ardennes.
[4] Brussels and the
Flemish cities of
Bruges,
Ghent,
Antwerp,
Leuven and
Mechelen, the Flemish
Cities of Art, attract many cultural tourists.
[2] Much tourism in Brussels is business tourism.
Belgium ranked 21st on the World Economic Forum's 2007
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, lower than all the neighbouring countries.
[5] Although the country scored highly for 'natural and cultural resources', it was ranked only 114th in the world for both 'price competitiveness' and 'availability of qualified labor'.
[6] In recent years the number of international tourists has stayed relatively stable, but the income they generate has increased to 9.863 billion US Dollars in 2005.