Seventy-three percent of Flemish residents took at least one overnight trip in 2025, according to new research from Visit Flanders. Of those who travelled, 65% recorded at least one foreign excursion, and overseas trips accounted for 35% of overnight stays — figures that keep Flanders positioned as one of northern Europe's most active outbound source markets.

Which Households Travelled Most?

Participation varied sharply by employment status and household type. Households with two employed persons posted the highest rate at 91%. Households with children reached 87%. Households without any employed members recorded just 46% — a 45-point spread between the most and least active segments.

Higher participation correlated with dual incomes, education and younger age, the report said. Single-parent families travelled more frequently than average. The pattern gives tour operators and hotel chains a clear read on which Flemish segments remain the most reliable booking sources.

Where Did Singles and Older Travellers Land?

Singles registered 50% participation, 23 points below the regional mean. Residents aged 55 and above posted 58%. Both cohorts sit outside the active outbound base and represent the largest pools of latent demand for travel sellers willing to design product for older and solo travellers.

What Stops the Other 27%?

Among Flemish residents who did not take an overnight trip in 2025, 37% cited financial reasons and 16% pointed to health issues. Thirty percent reported no interest in travelling at all. Work or study commitments accounted for roughly 10%, and family responsibilities for 9%.

The 27% non-travelling cohort represents a measurable upside for tour operators, hotel chains and DMOs designing lower-priced offers.

What Product Demand Does the Report Flag?

Visit Flanders highlights four categories: short breaks, city and cultural trips, family-friendly holidays and nature-based experiences. All four overlap with inventory already distributed through European OTAs, rail partnerships and short-break specialists serving Belgium.

The board argues suppliers can address affordability gaps through cheaper packages, flexible payment options and short-break formats — categories where Belgian OTAs, low-cost carriers and city-tour operators already hold shelf space.

What Is the Distribution Play?

For DMOs in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK — Flanders' primary outbound corridors — the report quantifies a market where short breaks and city stays dominate demand.

Suppliers chasing the Belgian wallet should expect dual-income families and under-55 travellers to drive incremental bookings, particularly via flexible payment options on short-lead packages. Rail distributors and short-break specialists sit best placed to absorb the demand.

Can Suppliers Convert the Non-Travellers?

The 46% participation rate among households without employed members, and the 30% of non-travellers citing no interest, suggest affordability-led packaging — not marketing alone — will decide conversion.

Visit Flanders frames family experiences and accessible products as the categories most likely to grow that share. The board does not quantify the addressable share of the 27% non-travelling cohort, leaving suppliers to size the opportunity against their own customer files.

What Carries Forward into 2026?

Income, employment and household structure continue to shape who travels from Flanders, even as overall outbound participation remains robust. Travel sellers packaging short breaks for the dual-income core, and building accessible formats for the inactive 27%, will hold the clearest distribution advantage into 2026.